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Anti-Gay Bill: Majority Leader Tells Bagbin To ‘Shut Up’ And Leave Bill For MPs To Decide
Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has cautioned Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin against utterances that he deem as a predetermination for the House in relation to the anti-gay bill which is currently before the legislature.
Addressing the press on Tuesday October 12, the Suame lawmaker said the Speaker is not an MP and therefore cannot make any determination in the matter.
His reaction comes after Mr Bagbin had said that he is pro-life therefore parliament will pass the bill as soon as possible.
“Ghanaians have spoken with one voice. I sit here as Speaker of Ghana, I represent Ghanaians and the country Ghana. We have spoken with one voice that we don’t want anything to do with whatever things they add,” he said in an earlier engagement.
However, the Majority leader insists that at best the Speaker can only make a referral to Parliament which will be programmed by the business committee for consideration.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu told journalists that “If I heard right, the Speaker was even saying that the bill is going to be passed but I have a little bit of challenge with that. Technically the speaker is not even a Member of Parliament, the speaker cannot commit Parliament. 7
“The Speaker can make a referral to Parliament which will be programmed by the business committee for consideration. I will find it difficult if we have a speaker who will in spite of his own antecedent as former Member of Parliament to say that Parliament is going to pass the bill. It is a bit of a difficulty.
“I am not saying that parliament is not going to pass the bill but the speaker should not make a predetermination for the house because he is not a member of parliament and this is the business of parliament.”
