Information Minister Mahama Ayariga has explained President John Mahama’s position on homosexuality, indicating that the act is criminal and punishable under the laws of Ghana.
“The President is to execute the laws of Ghana. And the laws of Ghana are very clear on homosexuality The laws of Ghana appall and criminalise homosexuality, there is no dispute about that. Homosexual conduct which is unnatural carnal knowledge of one person or another is criminal and punishable by the laws of Ghana,” he told the media today.
The President has also distanced himself from international gay activist, Andrew Solomon, the founder of the Solomon Research Fellowship for the rights of lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender.
The gay activist is alleged to have raised funds for his 2012 campaign after paying 20,000 dollars for a copy of the president’s book launched in the US last year.
But the President through Information Minister Mahama Ayariga set the records straight at a news conference.
“The organizers settled on Andrew Solomon purely, purely on the basis of his acumen in writing journalism and authorship. And for that reason the organizers thought that somebody like that would be the appropriate person to moderate that particular book launch in New York. He wasn’t chosen by the president, the president didn’t know him before the launch, so the president really did not have a relationship with him.”
Mahama Ayariga reiterated in an interview with Evans Mensah on Joy FM’s Top Story that the President had “no prior knowledge” of Andrew Solomon’s sexual orientation, stressing that the event organizers considered him because of his “competence and expertise”.
When probed further whether a background check was not done on the man who was going to moderate a programme to be attended by the then Vice President of Ghana.
He explained that normally the President would be too busy to involve himself who becomes the emcee of an event he is attending, rather he focuses on his role at the function.
“Very often he only gets to know who is going to be the MC when he gets there, who is going to be the moderate, he gets to know when he gets there. There are so many other actors at the event that he only gets to know when the gets to the event.
“Presidents are too busy to be concerned about such detail. If you are going to launch a book, and they say there is going to be a moderator, and then you ask what is his sexual orientation… it is not what you expect of a President.”
The Information Minister said all that the President would want to know is why such a person was chosen, which is normally based on the persons competence and expertise.
He said it would even be an offence in some states in the United States of America to ask about someone’s sexual orientation.
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