Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has openly criticized the Clerk of Parliament, Cyril Nsiah, for his correspondence with the presidency regarding the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.
Ablakwa voiced his concerns on Metro TV’s “Good Morning Ghana” on April 12, 2024, while discussing the passage of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, the subsequent response from the Presidency, and the Clerk of Parliament’s recent letter to the president’s office.
In a letter dated April 10, 2024, Clerk Cyril Nsiah contacted Nana Bediatuo Asante, the Executive Secretary to the president, to determine a suitable time for presenting the contentious bill to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
This was in response to a letter from the Office of the President signed by Bediatuo Asante, requesting that the bill not be sent to the President until suits filed in court against the bill have been duly addressed.
In his letter, Nsiah stated, “I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your Letter No. OPS 140/1/24/235 dated 18th March 2024, on the above subject matter and received in my Office on 19th March 2024.”
He further noted, “I have taken note of the contents of the letter, particularly the text in the last paragraph, which states that ‘In the circumstances, you are kindly requested to cease and desist from transmitting the Bill to the President until matters before the Supreme Court are resolved.’”
“Accordingly, I await an indication in writing from your Office on when to present the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2024, to His Excellency the President for his consideration, pursuant to Article 106(7) of the Constitution, 1992,” Nsiah concluded. The unfolding situation raises questions about the balance of power and the independence of Ghana’s legislative body.
Ablakwa, however, found the Clerk’s approach particularly troubling, saying “I feel offended by this letter” and contrary to constitutional procedures. He vowed to seek clarification from the Clerk’s office once Parliament reconvenes.
“I don’t know what the strategy is, but I feel offended by this letter, particularly the third paragraph. Are you subjecting our constitutional mandate to the whims and caprices of the president or Secretary to the president? What happened to our constitutional independence? These are constitutional matters,” Ablakwa stated.
“So now Nana Bediatuo Asante is going to dictate to Parliament when we should communicate with the executive? When we should move forward with our mandate? What is the meaning of this? When the house resumes, the clerk better have some explanation because we will take him on,” he added.
