The Member of Parliament for Odododiodio, Hon. Nii  Ashie Kotey, has dismissed claims by members of the Minority Caucus that the recently passed Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill was watered down before its approval by Parliament.

Speaking on the matter, Hon. Ashie Kotey argued that the Minority had never genuinely supported the passage of the bill from the outset.

According to him, events during the Eighth Parliament clearly demonstrated a lack of commitment by the Minority to see the legislation enacted.

He recalled that a previous version of the bill had successfully gone through the required parliamentary processes and was passed by Parliament, but failed to receive assent.

He further claimed that cautionary signals from the Presidency discouraged further consideration of the bill, which, in his view, reflected the Minority’s lack of enthusiasm for the legislation.

Hon. Ashie Kotey rejected assertions that the current bill had been diluted or stripped of its core provisions.

He maintained that there was nothing in the approved legislation to suggest that its objectives had been compromised.

According to the Odododiodio lawmaker, the Minority’s decision to distance itself from the bill after its passage is evidence that it was never fully committed to the legislation.

He insisted that the concerns being raised are unfounded and do not accurately reflect the contents of the bill passed by Parliament.

He therefore urged the public to focus on the substance of the legislation rather than what he described as politically motivated objections.