‘I wholeheartedly support anti-gay bill but against jailing them’ — Vincent Assifuah

Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Deputy Minister for Local Government designate, has voiced support for the country's controversial anti-LGBTQ bill, but expressed reservations about certain "punitive" aspects of the proposed law.

In his vetting by Parliament's Appointments Committee on Monday, March 11, Mr. Ekow Assafuah said he "wholeheartedly" backs the bill on principle due to his Catholic faith and upbringing.

However, he questioned whether imprisoning LGBTQ people is the best approach to solving the issue.

"There is a principle behind punishment and one of the principles is to ensure that a person is being reformed out of a criminal activity," Assafuah said.

“If we have to reform persons, do we have to mete out punishment that seems to ostracise the person from society?" he further asked.

He argued that Ghanaian society has a responsibility to reform people, not abandon them.

“We cannot say that there is a supposed anticipation of gay persons being lynched if they are given community service and so because of that as the people’s representatives we are throwing our hands in despair to allow such persons just to go astray," Ekow Assafuah stated.

The Old Tafo lawmaker suggested alternative programs like "proper forums" and "engagements" could help "deal with such persons" in a way that integrates them back into society.

Parliament passed the anti-LGBTQ bill on February 28, but President Akufo-Addo has delayed signing it pending a Supreme Court review of its constitutionality.

The law would criminalize LGBTQ activities, relationships and advocacy with jail terms of up to five years.