Deputy Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine has assured that Parliament will pass the Right to Information (RTI) Bill before July.
According to him, although the process has been slow, the House is determined to go through with it.
[contextly_sidebar id=”E3hrZfSc316juweLJLTK50D5UQROlBWB”]Speaking to Citi News, Dr. Dominic Ayine said the bill has gone through various stages since it was proposed in 2008, and will be passed before Parliament rises in July.
“The bill has gone through so many sections of parliament and now we are determined as a house to enact the bill. Hopefully we will pass it before the rise of parliament in July. As the sponsoring ministry, my Minister has also made it clear to me that she wants the bill passed. So the determination is for us to pass the bill before we rise.”
About the RTI bill
The RTI bill will allow citizens to have access to information held by government agencies to promote transparency and if passed, it is also expected to help make access to information held by state institutions easier.
The bill was drafted sometime in 2008 after being taken through over a decade of reviews, despite continuous advocacy for its passage.
Many civil society groups have been demanding an immediate passage of the bill, which they claim will facilitate access to information.
The UN recently queried government on issues pertaining to privacy breaches and the status of the RTI legislation and matters relating to press freedom violations.
We’re not scared of passing RTI Bill
Despite the delay in passing the bill, the Chairman of Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Kofi Amoatey, had refuted claims that Parliament is frustrating the timely passage of the RTI bill.
“The information that is put on this bill from the media gives the impression that politicians are afraid to pass this bill because when it is passed, it will expose politicians; that is wrong. It is a very wrong impression being created about the bill,” he added.
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By: Felicia Osei/citifmonline.com/Ghana