A year ago
Campaigner for the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, Mr. Samuel Nartey George, has disclosed the considerable personal expenses he has incurred as a result of his campaigning, even before the bill has become law.
George is one of the seven MPs who are supporting the Private Members' Bill as the representative for Ningo Prampram.
He stated that his activism had led to his unjust inclusion on a money laundering list, making it challenging for him to perform financial transactions when going overseas, during an interview on Eko Sii Sen on Asempa FM.
George gave instances of his own experiences, such as how blacklisting prevented him from opening a bank account at a UK institution.
He also recounted situations in which he was prevented from exchanging money with several nations because his name was on the list. He also talked about the difficulties he has while traveling with his diplomatic passport, recalling instances in which he was stopped and given a thorough check.
"I required a student account when I went to complete a program at the LSE [London School of Economics], for instance. I received a letter from the university, but the bank wouldn't allow me to create an account there. I am unable to exchange even one dollar right now, anywhere on the globe. Me being listed for money laundering. They assert that I am a money launderer for American Evangelical Conservatives," he claimed.
"I can't change money anywhere, although I've traveled to Dubai and the UK. The cashier there will swipe your passport when you want to convert money, and after they do that and my name shows, their expression changes. They then return the passport to you and apologize for not being able to exchange the money for you.
"Even when I go with my diplomatic passport, you get dragged out of the queue and you think maybe they want to offer you a special treatment because you're carrying a diplomatic passport, but they simply lock you in a room for two hours and make you feel embarrassed...because people notice security as you exit the plane with Ghanaians He said, "People surround you, lead you into a room, inspect your baggage, and do all of that merely to bother you.
"A sitting MP doesn't have any social connections? I had to tweet the Dutch ambassador about that specific issue and inform him that I would also compile a list of all Dutch companies operating in Ghana and advocate for a boycott of all Dutch companies. Then he returned and gave me the most ridiculous justification imaginable. That was a mistake in administration.
"I replied to him in a tweet by saying that even this demonstrates how inadequate he is as an ambassador. If a diplomatic passport bearer submits an application through the office of What is happening to numerous other regular Ghanaians who are paying so much and you're refusing their visas? If an administrative error can cause the Speaker of Parliament to miss a trip on business, what are you doing to them? Are we to believe that there are numerous administrative mistakes there? The MP said, "They gave him [Alhassan Suhuyini] the visa the next day.
George is nevertheless adamant about getting the measure passed into law in spite of these obstacles. He claimed that these challenges serve only to increase his desire to work for the bill's passage.
Strict penalties, including jail, are suggested in the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 for same-sex sexual practices and those who support or encourage them.
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