Parliament approves RTI bill – MyJoyOnline.com



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Parliament approved the draft law on the right to information.

The bill, which was pbaded after its third reading at 8:30 pm on Tuesday, March 26, will now await the presidential sanction to be fully recognized as law.

The purpose of the law on information rights is to implement the constitutional right to information held by public institutions and certain private institutions, subject to the necessary derogations compatible with the protection of the public interest in a democratic society.

It also aims to promote a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs and to resolve related issues.

The RTI bill was drafted for the first time in 1999, revised in 2003, 2005 and 2007, but was tabled in Parliament only in 2010. It was brought back to the sixth legislature but n & rsquo; Could have been adopted before the expiry of this legislature on January 6, 2016.

However, the time has come to pbad the bill in 2017 after the formation of the Media Coalition for RTI and other organizations that, in the last 11 months, have urged Parliament to get it pbaded. .

Related: The implementation of the RTI bill will cost 750 million ¢

Some members of Parliament feared that the adoption of the bill deprives the government of confidential information.

Adansi Asokwa, MP, K.T. Hammond, acknowledged that, although his pbadage will be useful to journalists, this may not bode well for governance in the country.

"You need peace of mind to lead a government. You have to focus and if you have a bill and before the ink dries, someone asks you to "bring this document" … as far as we are talking about communication between the president, vice president and cabinet, potentially, there will be no secret to the government, "he said.

But it seems that the Speaker of Parliament and the government have kept their promises as to the pbadage of the bill.

However, the law will be implemented early in 2020.

Haruna Iddrisu has asked for new amendments, said Joseph Opoku Gakpo, Joy News, in Parliament.

He had wanted to refer to clause 130, which allows amendments to any bill before third reading.

Mr. Iddrisu also cited Articles 41, 18 and 21 as the basis for his "second stage of examination of the bill" request.

The majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, was not in agreement.

Calling on Mr. Iddrisu to be "always in a hurry," he did not see the need for his request, adding that "the leader of the minority should wait until we decide on the proposal."

The reaction of the leader of the majority was appeased, but the President was able to control the situation and thus allow the adoption of the bill.

When the second vice-president, Alban Bagbin, who oversaw the debates today, expressed his joy that "the RTI bill has finally survived the House."

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