RTI will be passed before 2018 ends – Haruna assures

Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu has given the assurance that the Right to Information bill will be passed before 2018 comes to a close.

He told journalists in Parliament Friday that the bill be considered in the House on Saturday when members meet.

“There is absolute and unwavering commitment by Parliament and its leadership to ensure that the right to Information bill becomes law we will work more diligently and assiduously to get it passed.

“Let me assure you that we remain committed to passing a sunshine legislation that helps you the media to fight corruption to combat economic crime and to hold us responsible for our excess and abuse.

I have cautioned against watering down the impact of an RTI in the name of exemption and that is where we are.

“We need to be diligent about this. Let’s have a good law passed and not a law that exempt groups of information. We should get it passed before the end of the year,” the Tamale South MP noted.

The assurance comes as the Media Coalition on the Right to Information together with civil society groups including OccupyGhana begin a street advocacy against the delay by parliament in passing the RTI.
Over 70 groups are partaking in the advocacy which begins today.

Background

The object of the RTI Bill is to provide for the operationalisation of the constitutional right to information held by public and some private institutions, subject to exemptions that are necessary and consistent with the protection of public interest in a democratic society.

It also seeks to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs and to provide for related matters.

The RTI Bill was first drafted in 1999, reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007 but was only presented to Parliament in 2010. It was brought back to the Sixth Parliament but could not be passed till the expiration of that Parliament on January 6, 2016.

After months of waiting, the Bill was laid in Parliament early this year (2018) by the Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Joseph Dindiok Kpemka.

Source: starrfmonline.com