Ghanaian security analyst and international relations expert, Farouk Al Wahab, has expressed his support for the anti-LGBT+ bill that was passed by the Parliament of Ghana on February 28, 2024.
He also slammed the Western countries and diplomats who have threatened to sanction Ghana over the bill.
He made these statements on Kumasi-based Akoma FM on Saturday, March 3, 2024, where he said that Ghana was a sovereign state and had the right to pass laws that reflect its culture and values.
He said that it was unheard of that a country would be threatened by the international community for passing a law that protects its values and culture.
“It is not heard anywhere that a country will pass a bill on its land and the international community will threaten it.
“Even in the United States, about 14 to 15 out of the 50 states do not allow for gay marriages. Even their vice president had to force the state of California to accept transgenderism. Now look at the number of transgender people who are in rehab because of what she did,” he said.
He cited examples of other countries, such as Israel, Brunei, Libya, and Morocco, that have laws or policies against LGBTQ+ rights but have faced no sanctions or backlash.
He said that even some prominent US politicians, such as Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Al Gore, have spoken up against gay rights and have not been arrested.
“Many countries have stood up to American pressure on LGBT+ rights. Brunei, Libya, and Morocco have bills against LGBT+ rights. Even in the United States itself, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, etc have spoken up against gay rights, have they been arrested?
“Yet we are here, allowing diplomats to dictate and determine the laws that Ghana is setting for itself. Why is the West not threatening to sanction Ghana over the rampant corruption in the country? Of all the shady laws passed by Ghana, why are they all threatening Ghana over gay rights?” he stated.
He said that Ghana should not bow to Western pressure and rather strengthen its relationship with Asian countries, such as China and Japan, who are more interested in doing business than in human rights.
“We rather need to strengthen our relationship with Asian countries like China and Japan. The Chinese are simply business partners, they find a way to set up businesses wherever they go. They grow your economy with you. They don’t care about appearances or wearing suits and ties. Even the Japanese will just pack a simple shirt and trousers and come to do business with you.
“They don’t care about human rights and all that. All they care about is the business they’ve come to discuss,” he said.
Giving his predictions on whether or not President Akufo-Addo would sign the bill, he said that the bill would pose a difficult decision for the president.
“It will be a difficult decision for the president, if he signs the bill, it will affect his standing with international partners, if he doesn’t, it will affect not just his political career but that of the NPP.
“If he refuses, the NDC will use it as a campaign message to claim that the NPP refused to sign the anti-LGBT+ bill. Because he will go down in history as the only president not to sign a bill passed by his parliament,” he said.
He said that no ambassador from any country was bigger than any country in the world and that they had no right to overturn any law in the country.
“No ambassador from any country is bigger than any country in this world. They have no right to overturn any law in the country. Western nations will threaten sanctions and still keep doing business with African countries,” he said.
Background
The bill, which was passed by the Parliament of Ghana on February 28, 2024, bans and criminalizes LGBTQ+ activities and their promotion, advocacy, and funding in the country.
The bill has been widely condemned by human rights groups and LGBTQ+ activists, who say it violates the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people and exposes them to violence and discrimination.
