The Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, says Parliament could pass the reintroduced Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill within the next few weeks as lawmakers prepare to begin debate on the legislation.
Speaking on PM Express on Tuesday, Mr Dafeamekpor disclosed that the parliamentary committee responsible for the bill had completed its work and was ready to present its report to the House.
“The report will be laid on Thursday,” he stated.
According to him, Parliament is expected to receive two committee reports, including the report on the controversial Ghanaian family values bill.
“The committee has done its work. They will be laying the report on Thursday,” he reiterated.
Mr Dafeamekpor explained that once the report is formally laid before Parliament, lawmakers could immediately begin debate at the second reading stage and proceed with the legislative process without significant delays.
“When it’s laid, we can take the report, debate it, that’s as part of the principles for second reading, and adopt it,” he said.
“Once it’s adopted, we move into consideration.”
He indicated that Parliament could even complete the consideration stage shortly afterwards and move to pass the bill within a very short period.
“Consideration, we can even decide to do consideration on Friday, and pass,” he stated.
The Majority Chief Whip argued that Parliament was not beginning the legislative process anew because the bill had previously gone through all the required stages and had already been passed by the House.
“You see, the Ghanaian family values bill, we have already passed it,” he said.
He blamed the failure of the earlier bill to become law on the refusal of the former President to assent to it.
“It was a certain president who decided not to sign,” he added.
According to Mr Dafeamekpor, the contents of the reintroduced bill remain largely the same as the version previously approved by Parliament before the process stalled.
“So the terms of the bill are essentially what Parliament had already passed,” he stressed.
When asked whether the legislation could be passed this year, the South Dayi MP responded confidently that Parliament would conclude work on the bill within weeks rather than months.
“Yes, in a couple of weeks, not even months,” he said.
“We’ll pass it once we do the second reading on Thursday or Friday, and with consideration, we can pass it.”
Mr Dafeamekpor also defended the possibility of an accelerated legislative process and cautioned the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) against accusing the Majority of abusing parliamentary urgency procedures.
“But when we do consideration expeditiously, let the NPP not shout that we are abusing the certificate of urgency,” he said.
According to him, the swift handling of the bill is possible because lawmakers are already familiar with its provisions.
“Because it will be rapidly done, because we cannot be reenacting what we have already read,” he stated.
