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According to him, the move was to test whether or not he will be subjected to threats of visa denial from the specific embassy. He refused to state the specific country but confirmed that it wasn’t the Dutch embassy.
The mention of the Dutch embassy was allied to a recent incident where his fellow Member of Parliament, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini was denied a visa for among other reasons having little social ties in Ghana. He was later granted the visa in time for his scheduled trip.
“I made it clear especially after the Suhuyini’s issue, so I made it clear to them that I was putting in a request. It is not the Dutch Embassy, I made it clear to them that I am putting in a request to see what happens and they (my family) went through the normal process and it went smoothly,” he said on November 11, 2021, edition of Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana programme.
“I think that the message had been sent loud and clear enough with the responses from the Suhuyini incident where the Ambassador himself had to reach out to Suhuyini and say bring your passport to us,” he added.
He also revealed why he tackled the Dutch Ambassador on Twitter for suggesting that Suhuyini had rather approached the Embassy instead of resorting to media and social media.
“When the Ambassador went on Twitter and tried to say that Suhyini should not have gone out and should have rather spoken to them… I took him on and said ‘dude, no. You had the responsibility when I make an application, you have the responsibility to do due diligence on me,” the MP said.
Parliament recently confirmed that a number of Embassies had issued threats to some MPs especially those championing anti-LGBTQI+ legislation which is currently before a Parliamentary Committee.
Promoters of Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
The LGBTQ+ Bill before Parliament is titled: “The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021.” It is a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
The eight MPs who sponsored the Bill are Sam Nartey George (MP, Ningo Prampram), Emmanuel Bedzrah (MP, Ho West) Della Adjoa Sowah (MP, Kpando), John Ntim Fordjour (MP, Assin South) – the sole NPP MP sponsoring the Bill.
The remaining sponsors are Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini (MP, Tamale North), Helen Adjoa Ntoso (MP, Krachi West), Rita Naa Odoley Sowah (MP, La Dadekotopon) and Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor (MP, South Dayi).
Ghana’s pro-gay collective
A group of 18 academicians and human rights defenders have voiced strong opposition to the bill before Parliament, which is seeking to extensively criminalize the activities of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, LGBTQ+.
The group submitted a memorandum to Parliament seeking that the bill is rejected because it was largely unconstitutional and infringed on basic human rights.
Members of Parliament behind the bill, led by Ningo Prampram MP Sam Nartey George, have rubbished the memorandum and asserted that the bill will be passed into law because it has the support of the wider Ghanaian populace.
