Anti-gay bill: Failure to punish Bagbin will mean that the Constitution can be disrespected – Researcher

A researcher Dr Amanda Odoi who has filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court asking the court to sanction the Speaker of Parliament for showing contempt and disregard for court processes in the matter of the anti-gay bill, has said failure to sanction Mr Bagbin would send a signal that the constitution can be disrespected with impunity.
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“That should this honorable court fail to exercise its power to punish [the Speaker] for contempt, it would send the signal that the 1992 Constitution and the authority of the Court may be disregarded and disrespected with impunity, thus undermining respect for the administration of justice and making a mockery of the rule of law,” portions of the suit said.
The Speaker of Parliament has been cited for contempt regarding the bill.
“That the respondent’s clear, intentional and continuous disregard of the court process necessitates the Respondent being sanctioned for contempt in the public interest and to protect the dignity of the Court,” the Court documents state.

“That by his conduct in directing or causing Parliament to proceed to a Second Reading of the Bill, in full knowledge of the pending suit and related interlocutory injunction application, the Respondent has disregarded and disrespected the authority of this Court.
“That such disregard interferes with the outcome of the pending litigation, brings the administration of justice into disrepute and undermines public confidence in the judicial system.”

Last week, Parliament adopted the motion of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliament Committee on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.
This followed the second reading of the Bill on Wednesday, July 5.
After the second reading, members of the House were given the opportunity by the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, to debate the motion.
Among the members who contributed to the debate was Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development Dan Botwe, who described as “madness” the activities of lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals, and transgender (LGBT) humans.

He said it is a Satanic force that should not be allowed to fester in the country.
For him, “eternal vigilance” should be exercised by the country beyond the passage of the Bill.