Ghanaian president:Not to bow to British pressure over gay rights

Ghanaian President John Evans Atta Mills has described as bluff the statement of the United Kindom and its Prime Minister David Cameron, saying that the West African country would not in any way legalize homosexuality for aid. He told media at the presidential house here on Wednesday that Ghana would also not accept any aid that had homosexuality strings attached to it. "I, as president of this nation, will never initiate or support any attempt to legalize homosexuality in Ghana," he announced firmly. The announcement of the Ghanaian President followed statement made by David Cameron that Britain would withhold aid to countries that do not reform legislation banning homosexuality. Cameron, in a recent interview with BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, threatened to cut aid to anti-gay countries, declaring that nations receiving British aid should "adhere to proper human rights". The British premier raised the issue with some of the states involved at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia. "Let me also state that while we acknowledge all the financial assistance and aid by our development partners, we would not accept any aid with strings attached if that aid will not inure to our interest or the implementation of that aid with strings attached would worsen our plight as a nation or destroy the very society that we want to improve," President Mills said. Ghana, he added, would continue to operate within its constitution regardless of any threats from any country, maintaining that Britain could not tell Ghana what to do on its cultural and moral values. "No one can deny Prime Minister Cameron his right to make policies, take initiatives or make statements that reflect his societal norms and ideals but he does not have the right to direct other sovereign nations as to what they should do, especially where their societal norms and ideals are different from those which exist in Prime Minister's society," he told the media. Cameron's comments received bitter criticism in Ghana, especially religious leaders, who said the British premier lacked understanding of Ghana's cultural values. A private legal practitioner, Kwame Akuffo, also condemned the British prime minister's comments, describing it as smacking of racism. He urged African states to stand up against any vile or racist conduct from the West towards them, maintaining that since every country had its own peculiar beliefs and heritage, it was important to maintain one's sovereignty. The threat to cut aid to Ghana and other countries first came to light early last month when British Daily Mail newspaper reported that Britain had taken a hard stance to cut aid to African countries which persecuted gays. The paper quoted Andrew Michael, UK's International Development Secretary as saying that already his country had cut aid to Malawi by 19 million pounds after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years' in hard labor. Mitchell, one of Cameron's closest allies, also threatened to impose further aid "fines" against Uganda and Ghana for their hard- line anti-gay and lesbian measures. Again, the Mail, a private newspaper, claimed that during a visit to Ghana earlier this year, Stephen O'Brien, Mitchell's deputy, told Ghana's president Mills that Britain would cut its aid unless he stopped persecuting gays. Cameron's threat is said to apply to only one type of bilateral aid known as "general budget support" and does not reduce the overall amount of aid to any one country.