The nomination of Nana Oye Lithur, a human rights lawyer and activist as minister-designate for Gender, children and social protection, received mixed reactions from the public because of her public pronouncements on gay matters over the years that seemed to suggest that gays and lesbians have a right to operate despite the values and norms of a given society such as ours.
Notably among those who have condemned her nomination are the Clergy in Ghana who felt that anyone who openly made statements to the effect that gays and lesbians had a right was contradicting the values and true teachings of the Good Book which was inspired by God himself.
When Nana Oye appeared before the vetting committee, many people expected that for the position she had been nominated she would have gone back on her words to at least assure the public that when she was given the nod she would not accept a practice which is abominable in the Ghanaian society.
Unfortunately that was not the case, the human rights lawyer maintained her position that gays and lesbians should be protected and that until as a nation we debated and came to a conclusion as to how to deal decisively with the issue, it would be against human rights law to denounce them.
These assertions at the vetting rather made matters worse where many people had already condemned her including the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Professor Emmanuel Martey, the National Union of the Ghana Students (NUGS) who have all called on the Appointments Committee to reject her nomination because she could not be trusted to uphold both the Biblical and societal values of Ghanaians.
Many ordinary Ghanaians at the workplace, marketplace and even on the streets since yesterday have been expressing their displeasure and disgust at the pronouncements of the nominee at the vetting whiles others wondered who she was and why she was even nominated at all, others have called on the President to as a matter of urgency withdraw her nomination even before the vetting committee did so.
Having listened to the nominee at the vetting and the many comments and condemnation coming from people, I think members of the public are not being fair to Nana Oye Lithur.
Considering the privileges and all that goes with the position of a minister of state,one would have thought that she would have relaxed on her earlier submissions on the issue.
Instead, the nominee was resolute on her position, maintaining that although she would not promote the practice of homosexuality and lesbianism, the fundamental human rights of those who engaged in it must not be overlooked. This indicates that Nana Oye Lithur is a woman of substance and integrity for not bowing to the pressures of such high office to compromise her stand.
Again, I think she should be commended for not putting her personal feelings or societal values and norms above the law but rather insisting that as the law stands every Ghanaian irrespective of his or her background must be protected and therefore would not do otherwise. That is how to protect our laws and build on our institutions.
Just as the society abhors robbers, prostitutes and those who indulge in other societal vices yet have their fundamental human rights including the right to live and associate, so is any other person whose practices are inimical to our societal values.
A law lecturer, Professor Kofi Abotsi, said on Joy FM that those engaged in homosexuality did not contravene any of the laws of Ghana since the practice was not declared illegal per the laws except for anal sex which was considered criminal and therefore some degree of confusion and controversy existed and must be properly interpreted.
In his view, Nana Oye had not contradicted the position of the law on homosexuality or lesbianism since the nation did not yet have a clear position on the controversial issue, and many others also shared in that view.
The NUGS in their submission for her rejection indicated that "our societal values and norms are stronger than any constitutional clause and at all times greater pains must be arrived at enriching and strengthening our cultural heritage".
The issue of gay rights remains purely a moral issue and therefore we need to be careful in handling the issue to ensure that people like Nana Oye Lithur who is upholding the fundamental human rights of society are spared from suffering humiliation and denigration as if she had threaded on abominable grounds.
Nana Oye Lithur is a Ghanaian and a Christian as well, who believes in the Bible. Inasmuch as we disagree with her we must understand that the issue at stake is purely about morality and not legality.
For the fact that she declined to respond to a question as to whether she would allow her son to marry a fellow male, citing personal reasons, means that beyond upholding her human rights principles and beliefs, she also harbours reservations and values that are not different from those of any other Ghanaian.