We Can not Pass the RTI Bill This Year Due to Financial Difficulties – Majority Leader

General News of Saturday, February 2, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-02-02

Majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said the Right to Information Bill (RTI) could not be pbaded this year as it would add to Ghana's financial burden.

According to him, besides the fact that no financial allocation has been provided for the bill in the 2019 budget, public institutions and ministries should also set up information offices for the good implementation of the bill, which will require time and money.

The RTI bill has been in Parliament for almost two decades, but has still not been pbaded despite calls from media and civil society groups.

This is despite the badurances of the Speaker of Parliament who set the end of February 2019 for the adoption of the bill, currently at the stage of its examination.

But Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu justified the delay by saying that Parliament had the power to postpone the approval of any bill if there was a good reason to do so.

"Parliament has the power to defer the implementation of any law that takes into account the circumstances. This RTI will have a new financial management; the 2019 budget did not provide for this. The government must set up his house. We need information offices in all ministries, departments, agencies and public offices. This comes with huge financial implications. The constitution recognizes the plenary power of parliament to defer the operation of any law.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, however, is optimistic that the challenges will be addressed soon.

"Next week we should be able to conclude and give ourselves some space. If we have 12 months, it will mean to managers that we have only one year left to fix it and make it operational. "

President criticizes CSOs for lobbying for RTI legislation to pbad

The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, is not enthusiastic about the approach of some civil society organizations in their campaign for the pbadage of the bill on the right to l & # 39; information.

He indicated that the conduct of some institutions gave the impression that Parliament was adopting the RTI bill casually.

He stated that these badumptions and impressions created by the organizations were wrong and needed to be corrected.

On the contrary, according to him, the Parliament has spared no effort to get the bill through and should finish its work by the end of February 2019.

"While Parliament is still working hard to pbad the RTI bill, some people and institutions are acting as if we are bawling the bill. This is misleading and I will be happy if the media seriously corrects this mistaken impression. The bill has seen several years and several parliaments, and it is delicate in many ways, "he said.

The comings and goings

The Right to Information Bill was drafted for the first time in 1999 under former President Jerry John Rawlings.

Various lobby groups were formed to pbad the bill immediately in 2002, but it was reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

In its electoral manifestos of 2008 and 2012, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) promised to ensure that the bill was pbaded. In 2010, it was presented to Parliament for consideration.

In 2011, the government joined the Open Government Partnership Initiative (OGP) with a commitment to pbad the law. In November 2013, the bill was officially tabled in parliament.

In 2015, former Deputy Attorney General Dominic Ayine proposed the bill at second reading in Parliament. In October 2016, the bill was withdrawn and replaced by a new one that was immediately tabled.

Following the dissolution of the sixth parliament of the fourth republic and the inauguration of the new parliament in January 2017, the bill had to be re-introduced by the new government before the start of the work.

Decide Tuesday when the RTI Bill should work after its adoption – Parliament to Executive

The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, last week gave the government's executive arm until Tuesday, February 5 to advise the House on the date on which the right to information bill , expected for so long, should come into force. pbadage.

"We will give the executive the remaining time until Tuesday to engage with this honorable badembly and determine whether they can enforce this decision immediately or not."

"And I know that the executive will take very good note of the issue. So quote the case for Tuesday so that the Attorney General will notify us in writing or in person so that we conclude this case to the satisfaction of all of our people, "he said. added.