Homosexuals could soon be lynched in Ghana - MP warns

A senior member of Parliament has warned that the homosexual community in Ghana may soon be at the receiving end of mounting public anger in the form of physical attacks and outright death if they do not stop what he calls their evil deeds.

The NDC MP for Shai Osu Doku, Hon David Tetteh Assuming, said he is disgusted at the campaigns being led by respected senior citizens seeking respect and tolerance for gay and lesbian rights.

In an interview with Citi News Parliamentary Correspondent, Richard Sky, Hon. Assuming said homosexuals operating in the country may have to relocate outside Ghana before the growing public outrage against them degenerates into systematic moves to eliminate them one after the other.

You cannot trace this act to any of the settings in Ghana. So this is foreign and I am I saying that Ghanaians cherish our culture a lot so for anybody to adulterate the cultural setting in Ghana as far as this act is concerned, I have the fear that people could take the law into their hands in future and deal with this people drastically.

"We have been seeing the situation where people take the law into their hands to lynch armed robbers. They call it mob action. And so since this has been happening and the law cannot take hold of this people, then I believe that the same thing could be directed to them".

"So I am sending a sign to these people that they will not have it easy in this country. They can leave here and go to other places to practice that. But in this country, I believe that they are treading on dangerous grounds and they could face lynching in future" he noted.

The Legislator said issues of human rights cannot justify the practice of homosexuality in Ghana, which he according to him, could incur the wrath of God on a God-fearing nation like Ghana.

Being a God-fearing nation and a God-fearing people, let us not joke with this issue and let us not talk about any issue of human rights. This is uncultured, anti-Ghanaian and if care is not taken, these people will face a very tough time in future he noted.

He said the excuse that Ghanas laws are not very clear on what constitutes homosexuality and the sanctions that should be meted out to such offenders was a non-starter, since no law is framed in a straightjacket.

There is no law that is water-tight in this country. In every law, there could be some loopholes. But this is not the case where somebody will hide to commit this act. No matter what law we have in place, this one is an unwritten law. This act is abominable, it is not practised in Ghana and anybody who tries to introduce it in this country will not succeed. It has started in Kenya where people are being lynched.

Hon. Assuming called on the Police to be more proactive in raiding suspected homosexual joints, believed to be dotted across the country.

However, some analysts have told Citifmonline.com that Hon Assumings comments could generate a severe backlash from local human rights groups and their international backers, who believe homosexuality is as normal as heterosexuality.

Meanwhile the Former Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Inusah Fuseini says he is surprised by the deafening silence of women groups in the face of intense public debate on whether or not Ghana should recognise gay and lesbian rights in the country.

I believe that the male organ was created for two things: for passing urine and for releasing spermatozoa which is needed for creating. You can only engage in that activity with a woman. So I believe that a woman when married has a right to the use of the organ and must be concerned about how the organ is used because its usage has a direct bearing on her relationship and her health. So the women, who are interested in keeping their marriages and hoping to have good husbands in future, must help those who are against homosexuality because they really have an interest in the organs being in perfect order and being used for the purpose for which they were created".

"So the women should not sit aloof. They should join the men who are fighting against homosexuality because they are using the organs for inappropriate activities and this should not be allowed. I will be opposed to any move in Parliament to have this practice legitimized he promised.

(By Scott Long, Visiting Fellow, Human Rights Program)