'Ghana won't tolerate pressure for gay rights'-Speaker of Parliament tells Amnesty International
The Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, has warned that Ghana will not tolerate the aggressive push by the international community to accept homosexuality, bestiality among other acts.
This follows a courtesy call on him by human rights group Amnesty International, who demanded among other things scrapping of the death penalty from Ghana’s laws.
The Speaker however responded that African leaders are “getting tired” of some of these demands on the basis of human rights.
The Speaker revealed that he personally wrote to then British Prime Minister Tony Blair after he called for the legalisation of homosexuality, threatening to cut aid to African countries that did not comply.
“Following what Tony Blair said which I personally wrote him a letter that if we do not go the homosexual way, it was going to affect their aid to us. Honestly in view of these developments, we Africans are also concerned about certain things that may appear really intellectual …It is becoming a human right in some countries. The right to do homosexuality. The right for a human being to sleep with an animal. We are tired of some of these things and we must be frank about it. ..I think all these matters need to be seriously interrogated …,” said the Speaker.
Some Members of the Scottish Parliament in 2016 called on their government to confront then President John Dramani Mahama, regarding Ghana’s alleged abuses of its lesbian and gay citizens.
Naomi McAuliffe, Amnesty International’s programme Director in Scotland had said her organisation received regular reports that LGBT people faced police harassment.
Hans Mensah Andoh/Beachfmonline
