The Right to Information (RTI) Coalition, is set to hit the streets today to raise awareness on the need for the passage of the Right to Information Bill (RTI).
The Coalition, who described their action as “Street Evangelism”, say they seek to impress upon the Mahama-led government to expedite action on the passage of the Bill.
President Mahama at a UNESCO program in France earlier this week, said he is frustrated at the continuous delay in the passage of the Bill.
But the Executive Director for POS Foundation, Jonathan Osei-Owusu, described as unfortunate President Mahama’s claims he does not know the current stage of the Bill.
He said, “the coalition is doing this activity to first mark the day. As human rights activists, we want to know that there is a day of this sort where everybody is privy to information wherever you find yourself. And it has come at the right time particularly when our president has spoken to the whole world on the state of Ghana’s right to information.”
He added that, “It is very sad that we are marking such a day and our president told the world that he does not even know where the Bill has gotten to. I don’t know if our president was trying to hide something or doesn’t really know. We are in this country where bills have gone through certificate of urgency and have been passed”
‘Government has not demonstrated commitment’
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.”
Many advocates of free speech have criticized successive governments for their lack of interest in ensuring that the Bill is passed.
The bill, which has been in and out of Parliament for over a decade, is yet to be passed in spite of its potential of enhancing access to information in the country.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana