Speaker orders removal of RTI bill from Order Paper

Speaker of Parliament Prof Mike Oquaye has ordered the removal of the Right to Information bill from the House’s order paper on Thursday, March 21, 2019.

The RTI bill was laid before Parliament by the Deputy Attorney General Joseph Kpemka Dindiok in March this year.

It has been 22 years since the first RTI bill was drafted under the auspices of the Institute of Economic Affairs, IEA and 16 years since the Executive arm of government in 2002 drafted the first RTI bill.

The draft Executive Bill was subsequently reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007 but was never laid in Parliament until February 5, 2010.

The Speaker’s Order was necessitated by the Civil Society Organisations’ decision to make additional proposals to be inserted into the bill.

Announcing the directive, the Speaker said “We are duty bound to listen to other view points on this matter.”