Coalition calls on Parliament to pass "credible" bill on RTI

General News of Sunday, February 3, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-02-03

Ghana's Coalition for the Right to Information (RTI), the Media Coalition on RTI and OccupyGhana (collectively called the "Coalition") issued a press release on Sunday urging Parliament to pbad the law on the right to information, which The 1992 Constitution of the country states that "Everyone has the right to information subject to the necessary qualifications and legislation in a democratic society."

The Coalition commended Parliament for taking steps to pbad this bill, but much more needs to be done.

"The Coalition welcomes the efforts of this Parliament to act urgently to ensure that the RTI bill is pbaded quickly after the reopening of Parliament just four days ago," the statement said.

But growth is not without growth pains. The Coalition calls on MPs to tackle two key issues.

First, the Coalition is calling for amendments to clause 13 of the act, which exempts information that reveals opinions that would deliberately undermine public institutions.

According to the statement, "the current draft of Article 13 could easily be misinterpreted to dilute seriously, if not completely, the right to information".

Second, the coalition warns of a 12-month transition and a period of implementation of the clause proposed by Parliament. It is about eliminating all the destructive consequences that could result, as in other African countries when the transition clauses 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 needed for full and effective implementation. of the law, "reads the statement.

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."