The Fuss About President Nana Addo's Homosexuality Retort Are Misplaced

Over the weekend President Akuafo Addo granted an interview to an international television network Aljazeera, Qatar's funded broadcaster based in Doha. A sectional content of the interview has begotten a barrage of furore among the populace. Even though they were several dicey issues raised during the interview which included the media, political instability, disease, poverty as well as democracy in Africa. The matter of same sex marriage or homosexuality appears to have attracted more attention.

To some extent, this has been gravely painted with political colours by unrepentant propaganda machinery of the NDC. The political practitioners from the Umbrella fraternity have earnestly tried to espouce ambiguity in a palpable unequivocal statement made by the President. Not even the fascinating statement made by the President that he is confident that the match of democracy in Africa is something that is going to be a Gordian knot to untie has been lauded. To this propaganda prototypes, all is absolutely not well even though independent thinking clergy has mooted a point that the President could have made it more forthright, flagrant and forceful. For these citizens the reason perhaps is not far-fetch. The issue of homosexuality has been a very delicate and complicated matter internationally, thus bulldozing many countries and media into making it their agenda.

The so called most powerful countries in the world such as US of A, United Kingdom and very recently Australia have made same-sex marriage very topical. Nana Akuafo Addo's position that legalising homosexuality in Ghana is something which has no dog chance to be on the government's agenda has been greeted by diverse interpretations and opinions which in most cases are the handiwork of the politically prejudiced folks.

The President did not stumble in his communication at all. A very astute human rights lawyer who is endowed with sharp discernment, President Akuafo Addo justly answered the question posed to him by the rather intelligent journo of Aljazeera, Jane Darten. Nana Akuafo Addo is not a character whose thoughts can be marionetted by the ambitions of the international community. He is just a diplomat extraordinaire and his mastery at it is what is difficult to be unravelled by the NDC functionaries.

According to the President, the socio-cultural environment of the country does not even give a little room for homosexuality to be legalised, adding that until there is a strong call by the society for this to be done there no way the laws on homosexuality will change. This to a large extent will mean that societal factor such as economic development, culture, democracy and religion will determine that decision by which time his presidency will not be alive.

Some other African leader including the embattled Robert Mugabe, Uhuru Kenyatta and Atta Mills of blessed memory are on record for denouncing the practice as alien to the African moral fibre and thus gaysm is a non-issue at all. President Akuafo Addo has demonstrated matchless commitments to lead Ghana beyond aid and has over the years defied all odds against him by standing tall as man who cannot be brought or sold. Ghanaians, inclusive of the NDC worshippers in the unholy temple of sensationalism and propaganda, must continue to support him as he lifts the nation from quicksand to a high terra firma.

ABDALLAH, ABDUL MATIN