[ 2016-09-27 ]

‘I don’t know where RTI bill is’ – Frustrated Mahama
The President, John Dramani Mahama has said he is
frustrated at the continuous delay in the passage
of the Freedom of Information Bill.

The Bill which has been in and out of Parliament
for well over a decade is yet to be passed despite
its enormous benefit of enhancing access to
information in the country.

Speaking at UNESCO’s International Programme for
Development of Communication talks in France,
President Mahama said “unfortunately it will go
down in history as the legislation that has stayed
the longest in Parliament.”

Cabinet approved it

“Ghana has probably the highest saturation; we
have aside from the Constitution put in the
legislation to guarantee freedom of information
and access to information. I must say
unfortunately it will go down in history as the
legislation that has stayed the longest in
Parliament. Cabinet approved it, we submitted it
to Parliament, I don’t know where it is.”

The President noted that the bill has suffered
some setbacks because of lack of consensus.

“It has been at the committee level, the
committee decided to go round the country and
consult on the Freedom of Information bill. Some
say it is too liberal, some say it is too tight
and it should be made more liberal and so
Parliament is still working on it. It was
submitted to Parliament in the term of the last
president and it has continued in my term and I
believe that it is something that we should
complete and make available so that people will
have a legal basis for demanding information if
there is a reluctance to give the information to
them,” he added.

Many advocates of free speech have criticized
succeeding governments for their lack of interest
in ensuring that the bill is passed.

Group slams Mahama for delaying passage of RTI
Bill

The Right to Information (RTI) Coalition on Monday
expressed disappointment in President Mahama’s
leadership for failing to ensure the passage of
the right to information legislation in the
country.

According to the Coalition, “President Mahama
has not demonstrated strong commitment to the
passage of the RTI Bill, despite his party’s
promises in their 2008 and 2012 manifestos.”

Source - citifmonline.com

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