The Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu Constituency in the Central Region, Lawyer Alexander Afenyo Markin has backed calls for the country not to criminalize persons who claim to be LGBTQ.
Reacting to the statement made by Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson suggesting that homosexuality and LGBT, in general, should not be made a criminal offence in the country, the Effutu Member of Parliament asserted that there is no need for the country to criminalize persons in the LGBTQ+ community.
According to Honorable Alexander Afenyo Markin, there is no need for the country to pass a law that would seek to jail persons who claim to be gay or homosexual.
“That is the opinion of the Catholic Church and I am a Catholic, The second Deputy Speaker who is here is also a Catholic and the law is very clear and I don’t think what the Cardinal has said I should hold a contrary view to that. The church says that by the culture of Africans, we are against the practice of LGBGT+”.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin
The Deputy Majority Leader further indicated that he does not in any way endorse the activities or practices of gays or lesbians in the country, however, according to him even though he does not support the practice of gays and homosexuals in the country, he does not condone the idea of criminalizing their choice of sexual orientations.
“The Catholic Church says that it is against same-sex marriage but it is also against criminalizing somebody who has such sexual orientation. I am a Catholic and I don’t hold contrary views to what the Church has said. I am a Catholic; I have not left the catholic church and the church is saying that it would be wrong to criminalize somebody’s sexual orientation and so be it”.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Minority Urged To Support LI. To Restrict Importation of 22 Products
Meanwhile, Dr Charles Nyaaba the President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana has urged the Minority Caucus in Parliament to support the Minister of Trade and Industry’s Legislative Instrument that seeks to restrict the importation of rice, fruit juice and 20 other ‘strategic products’.
According to Dr Nyaaba despite the fact that the country would bear some consequences in the short term, if the appropriate and strategic measures are put in place by the government and all stakeholders the country can produce more of such products for its consumption for the medium and the long terms.
He noted that the possible proceeds in the long term which may come as a result of the increase in the local production of such products can also be exported for the country to increase its foreign exchange.
“As a country, we need to make very strong decisions to ensure our local industry thrives. We cannot continue to depend on others for food that we can produce here … So for us, we still appeal to the Minority to think about it again and allow this L. I to pass”.
Dr Charles Nyaaba
The President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana further explained that the passage of the Legislative Instrument by the government would force the country to increase investment in the agriculture sector to attract investors. This, he added will also attract farmers to increase productivity.
He also stressed that the Legislative Instrument being introduced to Parliament by the Minister of Trade and Industry is nothing new since other countries in the world have adopted similar measures to boost local production and cut importation.
“If you go to countries where we have been importing these commodities – Thailand, Japan, Russia, they have subsidised their farmers, they ensure that they put in restrictions that prevent other countries from sending the same unfinished product there. So if we allow them to process and dump them on us, at what stage in our economy can we become self-dependent?
Dr Charles Nyaaba
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