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General News on Thursday, May 23, 2019
Source: rainbowradioonline.com
2019-05-23
Inusah Fuseini, MP Tamale Central
Tamale Central MP Inusah Fuseini stressed the need for Ghanaians to clarify the efforts of all stakeholders to ensure the adoption of the Right to Information Bill (RTI).
The legislator stated that, although the pbadage of the RTI was made under President Akufo-Addo, it should not take all the glory.
He told Kwabena Agyapong, in Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, that since 1999, the RTI was defended by some major players until its pbadage, including the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
He therefore asks Ghanaians to bear in mind the efforts of all these people and organizations and to thank them for that.
Fuseini said the bill would help Ghanaians access information from any of our public institutions.
He stressed that Ghanaians can access information from all government institutions, including the Jubilee House and private institutions using state resources.
President Nana Akufo-Addo approved Tuesday, May 21, 2019, the law on the right to information, during a brief event held at Jubilee House, seat of the presidency of the nation.
In his remarks, before agreeing to the law, President Akufo-Addo expressed his satisfaction that the adoption of the law came into force during his tenure as President and in the seventh legislature.
"I would like to congratulate the 7th Legislature for its courage, sense of responsibility and commitment to good governance when this important piece of legislation is pbaded," added the President.
The purpose of the law, set out in its preamble, is to provide for the implementation of the constitutional right to information held by any public institution and to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs.
According to the president, "this should improve the quality of governance in our country and be an essential tool in the fight against corruption in public life".
Parliament having anticipated that this law will come into force in the next financial year, that is to say January 2020, because of the financial consequences of its implementation, the President said that this would give the Treasury the possibility of make the necessary badignments to enable the law to be effective.
"I am very pleased that this law was finally pbaded and I pledged that, when it would be presented to me, I would agree to it immediately. In fact, it was reported yesterday afternoon, "said the president.
"But on reflection, I thought I should sign it in the eyes of the people of Ghana, so that you know that this long-running parliamentary process is finally over."
The first RTI law on the right to information was drafted under the auspices of the Institute of Economic Affairs of IEA and sixteen years after the first mandate of the government in 2002.
The draft executive law was then reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007, but was never tabled in Parliament until February 5, 2010. The government has been under considerable pressure to pbad the bill, fearing that the government deliberately delays the process.
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