"It Is Condescending": Dafeamekpor Condemns President's Letter To Parliament On Anti-LGBT Bill
- Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor says the letter from the Jubilee House refraining Parliament from presenting the anti-LGBT bill to the President smacks of condescension
- He said the action is unconstitutional and presents the legislature as subservient to the executive
- The Presidency says till the suits against the bill are resolved at the Supreme Court, they will not receive the bill
Co-proponent of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has condemned the manner in which the President’s secretary, Nana Bediatuo Asante, wrote to the Clerk of Parliament concerning the ant-LGBT bill.
In a letter addressed to the Clerk of Parliament yesterday, March 19, Nana Bediatuo Asante stated that Parliament should desist from transmitting the anti-LGBT bill to the Jubilee House as it currently faces two challenges in the Supreme Court.
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However, reacting to the letter, the South Dayi Member of Parliament stated that its tone smacked of condescension.
He noted that the Secretary to the President had not addressed the Clerk of Parliament nor Parliament with the respect they rightly deserved.
According to him, the order to cease Parliament from carrying out its constitutionally established mandate, presenting the President with a bill for his assent, is akin to treating the legislature like an offshoot of the executive.
That, he said, cannot be countenanced.
“He cannot treat parliament like an offshoot of the executive. We’re not subservient to the executive. We’re co-equal arms of government.
“So, when conducting yourself in relation to another organ of the state, you must conduct yourself within the protocols and the ethics that come with those offices. You don’t communicate to parliament as if we’re subservient to the executive.”
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Interlocutory injunctions cannot stop the President from receiving bills
In the said letter, Nana Bediatuo Asante stated that the President is unable to receive the bill because there is an interlocutory injunction refraining the Parliament from transmitting the bill to the Jubilee House, as well as refraining the President from accepting the said bill.
He added that the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has also advised the President not to act on the bill until the Supreme Court delivers its verdict.
Reacting to that, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor said the President could not be refrained from carrying out his constitutional mandate by any ongoing court case or interlocutory injunction.
Drawing examples from recent events, he stated that while the 2020 election petition was ongoing, the President continued carrying out his constitutional mandate without any hindrance.
He said the President could continue carrying out his mandate till the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the case.
Akufo-Addo says he will not assent to anti-LGBT bill
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported that President Akufo-Addo has indicated he will not assent to the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill yet.
The President explained that he would wait for the Supreme Court to pass judgment on the lawsuits challenging the bill.
Akufo-Addo spoke on the matter to members of the diplomatic corps at a New Year greetings event.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
