Parliament urged to pass credible RTI bill

General News of Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Source: Graphic.com.gh

2019-02-05

Ghana's Coalition for the Right to Information (RTI), the Media Coalition on RTI and OccupyGhana (collectively called the "Coalition") urged Parliament to adopt the Right to Information Act, a monumental bill that would reflect the country's 1992 Constitution. stating that "Everyone has the right to information, subject to the necessary conditions and laws in a democratic society".

The coalition congratulated Parliament for taking steps toward the pbadage of the bill, but added that more needs to be done.

"The coalition welcomes the efforts of this Parliament to act urgently so that the RTI bill is pbaded quickly after the reopening of Parliament just four days ago," the group said in a statement issued on Sunday. .

The Coalition calls on MPs to address two key issues, namely the amendments to section 13 of the act, which excludes information revealing opinions that may intentionally harm public institutions.

According to the statement, "the current draft of Clause 13 could be easily interpreted to severely, if not completely, dilute the right to information".

12 month transition period

Second, the coalition warns of a 12-month transition and a period of implementation of the clause proposed by Parliament.

It is to eliminate the destructive consequences that could result, as in other African countries, when the transitional clauses have led to the non-application of the law.

"That is why it is important that if it is necessary to include a transitional provision, it should be a reasonable transitional period that clearly specifies what needs to be done and the timetable for putting in place the structures necessary for a full and effective implementation of the law, "the statement said.

The coalition said that in the coming days, it would ask to meet with all the leaders of the majority and minorities, including the leaders of the Joint Committee, to provide more details.

"We wish to badure Ghanaians of our total commitment to the adoption of a credible law."