Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President of the Republic, has affirmed his stance on the LGBTQ+ matter, indicating that Ghana will not accept it.
He says the practice is an affront to the cultural and religious beliefs of the nation and will not support any any act that compromises any of these beliefs.
The Vice President, who had earlier indicated during his tour to parts of the country, has reiterated his position today, Tuesday, June 04, 2024, during his tour of the Greater Accra Region that the practice is non negotiable when it comes to what Ghana beliefs in.
He says just as the West will not accept polygamy, so they cannot force LGBTQ+ on Ghana.
“…then the issue of LGBTQ+, I don’t know what they add, we can add anything, we will
not accept it. We will never accept it. We will never accept it. Our religion says no. Our culture says no. Our values say no. So it’s no, no, and no. We will never accept it. No matter the consequences.
“We will defend our values. We will defend our culture. And we will defend our religion. So it is so, so clear for me, that we should let the rest of the world know that we will not change our values for them. They also don’t agree with certain things. Isn’t it? They don’t agree with polygamy. Is it? Are we forcing it on them? Yeah, so they shouldn’t force it on us. We won’t agree,” he indicated.
Following the passage of the bill by Parliament Wednesday, May 28, 2024, the presidency has refused to sign the document pending some cases at the Supreme Court.
Two other cases have been filed over the bill at the High Court challenging certain provisions in it.
In a related development, Nii Boni Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, the Ga Mantse, has, in a recent interview with Citi News, asked promoters of LGBTQ+ to add the promotion of polygamy to their cause and not discriminate against it.
According to the king, it is equally the right of persons who want to take more than one wife to exercise that liberty and should not be infringed upon by the West who believe people have the right to choose any gender they want to marry.
As a Christian and traditionalist, he says he loves everyone under his authority but sees LGBTQ+ activities as an “affront” to his beliefs.
“I believe the West should promote polygamy. Why do they promote same-sex relationships and think polygamy is bad?” he said Sunday, on June 2, 2024.
When asked for his comment on the recent anti-gay bill passed by Parliament but has not been approved by the President, he noted the subject is not that relevant to engage his attention.
The enormity of the public’s interest on the matter, has, meanwhile, made the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, petition the Chief Justice to allow proceedings on the matter to be carried live by the media, starting Monday, June 03, 2024.
Judiciary grants permit for live coverage of anti-LGBTQ+ hearings today
But according to the Ga Mantse, people’s privileges and preferences should not be a subject of interest and discussion.
“I love everybody,” he emphasised. He wants issues regarding polygamy to be of interest to promoters of LGBTQ+ countries.
