Cultural values shouldn't solely dictate Anti-LGBTQ Laws - CHRAJ Commissioner
The Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Joseph Akanjolenur Whittal has raised concerns about the motivations behind the recent passage of the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill by legislators.
Advertisement
Mr. Whittal said in today's interconnected world, legislating solely based on cultural and traditional values would be regressive.
Speaking in an interview with Joy FM on February 29, Mr. Whittal expressed apprehension, warning that hastily passing such legislation could have serious repercussions.
He questioned whether prioritizing traditional values over the realities of a globalized world was prudent.
"This thing that we are joking with, if we don’t take time, it will boomerang in our face and the signals are coming. So, is it worth the so-called values that we are thinking of in a globalized world?" he asked.
Parliament passed the bill on Wednesday, February 28, criminalizing LGBTQ+ activities, triggering fear within the LGBTQ+ community about their safety.
However, Mr. Whittal sought to reassure them that they remain safe until the bill receives presidential assent. He urged them not to panic, emphasizing that the bill's fate was not sealed yet.
The bill proposes prison sentences of up to three years for LGBTQ+ individuals and up to five years for those supporting LGBTQ+ groups. Efforts to replace these penalties with community service and counselling were thwarted by MPs.
Mr. Whittal appealed to the President not to sign the bill into law, citing his human rights background as a reason to reconsider.
"This bill is not a law, so it cannot be used against anybody. There are still processes to make it a law. That is why I am raising the challenge to the president to consider whether he shouldn’t exercise his right of rejection on the basis of constitutionality aired against human rights. If it makes it through him, and if he also assents, I know there is a bunch of people who are ready to challenge the constitutionality of this bill before the Supreme Court."
In a rebuttal on the same show, the lead sponsor of the bill, Mr. Sam George, disagreed with Mr. Whittal's stance, arguing that his job is based on the Ghanaian constitution, not international norms. He suggested that Whittal's opposition to the bill compromises his impartiality, making him unfit to handle any LGBTQ+ cases brought to CHRAJ.
"When he speaks in a manner that is even prejudicial before a matter will come to him, it will not be fit for him to sit on any matter involving this bill."
