He said the limited days available to the house makes it impossible for it to consider the bill even if it is filed under a certificate of urgency.

The Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, after increased agitations from civil society groups like the Right to Information Coalition, pushing for the passage of the Bill, announced on Monday that the revised version of the Right to Information Bill has been approved by Cabinet and forwarded to Parliament.

“Cabinet has given approval for the Right to Information Bill to be laid in Parliament for debate and approval because it is very critical that we pass the Right to Information Bill,” Dr. Bawumia stated during the Norway-Ghana Business and Investment Forum.

But according to Inusah Fuseini, who’s also the MP for Tamale Central, Parliament’s outlined business for this week did not indicate that the bill will be laid before the house rises on Friday. He however did not rule out the possibility that it could be introduced to the house this week.

“There simply is no way [it can be passed in this session]. I can’t see how we can work within 4 days to pass that bill into law. And you want a good product, you want the bill to stand the test of time. Let’s just get the executive to lay the bill…. The most important is for the bill to be laid now in parliament so that we can take it through the normal legislative process. That will mean the next time we return to the house,” he said.

‘We’ll sit during recess’

Inusah Fuseini said the Committee has agreed to sit during Parliament’s recess to consider the bill and prepare its report on it to ensure that it is immediately put before the house when it resumes.

“My committee has said that because of the importance of the bill, even if the executive delay in laying the bill we will be minded to sit during the recess to consider all the proprietary steps towards a report in parliament when we return,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Committee and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Offinso South Constituency, Ben Abdallah assured that the government will lay the bill before the house before Friday, March 23, 2018, when it rises to go on recess.

‘RTI will be passed by July 2018’

The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu in November 2017 said parliament would finish work on the bill by the second meeting of the next session of the house which translates to July 2018.

Speaking at a training programme for journalists in Parliament, he said the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic will surely work hard to pass the Bill.

About RTI

The right to information is a fundamental human right guaranteed by the country’s 1992 Constitution and recognized as a right under International Conventions on Human rights.

The bill as it has been drafted, is to give substance to Article 21 (1) (f) of the Constitution which states that “All persons shall have the right to information subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society”.

The back and forth

The Right to Information Bill was first drafted in 1999 under the former president, Jerry John Rawlings. Various advocacy groups emerged to press for the immediate passing of the bill into law in 2002. The draft bill was reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its 2008 and 2012 election manifestos promised to ensure the bill is passed. In 2010, the bill was presented to Parliament for consideration.

In 2011, the government signed unto the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative with a commitment to pass by the bill. In November 2013, the bill was formally laid before parliament.

Former Attorney General, Deputy Dominic Ayine in 2015, moved the bill for second reading in Parliament. In October 2016, the bill was withdrawn and a replaced with a new one which was immediately laid.

Following the dissolution of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic and the swearing-in of new Parliament in January 2017, the bill is no longer in parliament.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post RTI Bill can’t be passed before Parliament’s break on Friday – Inusah appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The coalition said the government has failed to show commitment towards actually passing the bill into law.

The Bill has been in and out of Parliament over the last decade, but has not received the needed legislative attention over the period.

[contextly_sidebar id=”niSL3nbeKA4nI3MKnNB1dWeZPSPHubAK”]President Akufo-Addo in his 61^st Independence Day Speech on Tuesday renewed his promise to see to the passage of the bill before the dissolution of the current Parliament.

But the Coalition says it expects more action from the President. The Regional Coordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Mina Mensah, who is also Convener of the Right to Information Coalition, in an interview with Citi News said they expect the President to provide precise timelines for the passage of the bill, which seeks to empower the public to demand information from the government.

“I lost confidence in it a long time again. Unless I see action, the talk doesn’t do anything for me. Since January, the Vice President has talked about it. As for the Minister of Information, I don’t even want to comment on that, and then the AG tells us that it is in cabinet. It has been in cabinet since May 2017. There is no information on the RTI bill. Anything that the President wants passed, gets passed. When he wanted the office of the special prosecutor bill passed, it got passed and they did it with a lot of speed. For me, it’s just the same as it is in their manifesto, that we’ll pass the bill if the current legislator does not pass it. What are the timelines?,” she quizzed.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, has proposed a new timeline for the passage of the much talked about Right to Information Bill.

According to him, Parliament would finish work on the bill by the second meeting of the next session of the house which translates to about July 2018.

Speaking at a training programme for journalists in Parliament in November 2017, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic will work hard to pass the Bill.

About RTI

The right to information is a fundamental human right guaranteed by the country’s 1992 Constitution and recognized as a right under International Conventions on Human rights.

The bill as it has been drafted, is to give substance to Article 21 (1) (f) of the Constitution which states that “All persons shall have the right to information subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society”.

The back and forth

The Right to Information Bill was first drafted in 1999 under the former president, Jerry John Rawlings. Various advocacy groups emerged to press for the immediate passing of the bill into law in 2002. The draft bill was reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its 2008 and 2012 election manifestos promised to ensure the bill is passed. In 2010, the bill was presented to Parliament for consideration.

In 2011, the government signed unto the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative with a commitment to pass by the bill. In November 2013, the bill was formally laid before parliament.

Former Attorney General, Deputy Dominic Ayine in 2015, moved the bill for second reading in Parliament. In October 2016, the bill was withdrawn and a replaced with a new one which was immediately laid.

Following the dissolution of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic and the swearing-in of new Parliament in January 2017, the bill is no longer in parliament.

It must be reintroduced to the House by the new government before work commences on it again.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Stop the talks and pass RTI bill – Coalition to gov’t appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Ghana will join the rest of the world to host the World Press Freedom Day on May 2 and 3 this year, to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and to advance the cause of journalism.

[contextly_sidebar id=”MDGgGhXHAYsvMgXmUz0i6Ih6iMt90AaD”]According to the Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah, it is not too late for the government to pass the Bill, and passing the Bill will show the country’s commitment to the pursuit of democratic values.

“It will be embarrassing for us, if we host the World Press Freedom Day and we still do not have the RTI bill. It is quiet worrying that countries around us and countries in Africa, that we appear to be doing better than, who praise Ghana all the time, have gone ahead to have the Right to Information law in place,” he said.

He noted that it is quite sad that over the period 6 years, the number of countries that have passed the RTI Bill has increased from 6 to 21, but Ghana is not included.

“We can talk about our three neighbouring Togo, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and in West Africa, we can talk about Nigeria, Sierre Leone, Liberia, Niger, Guinea, all these countries ave RTI Bill in place,” he said.

The NPP government, in the build-up to the 2016 elections, promised to expedite the passage of the bill.

The Foundation’s Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah, wants the Akufo-Addo government to pass the bill before hosting the World Press Freedom Day this year.

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has promised that government will facilitate the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill this year.

He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is committed to enhancing accountability and dealing with corruption.

The Right to Information (RTI) Coalition,  hit the streets in September 2017,  to raise awareness on the need for the passage of bill.

The Right to Information (RTI) Coalition expressed disappointment in President Mahama’s leadership for failing to ensure the passage of the bill before he exited.

According to the Coalition, “President Mahama had 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.

–

By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ghana must pass RTI bill before hosting press freedom day – MFWA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

They beat their counterparts from the Central University, Islamic University College, and Accra Technical Universtiy in the debate on the motion: “Which of these will you prioritise and why: The Special Prosecutor or Right to Information Law”.

The debate was held at the University of Ghana’s Balme Library Seminar Room on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 with over 200 guests in attendance.

The overreaching theme for the debate was “Empowering the Youth in the Fight Against Corruption”.

The aim of the debate was to raise awareness on corruption among the youth and engage them to suggest policy recommendations on how to curb the canker.

The University of Ghana was represented by Level 400 Political Science students; Emmanuel Gerald Arhin and Fareed Gombilla who advanced arguments for prioritizing as a matter of urgency, the Right to Information Bill.

They comfortably beat their opponents from the Islamic University College, represented by Abubakar Abdul-Aziz and Mohammed Osman Dogo with the argument that, the Office of the Special Prosecutor could not function effectively without access to information.

The UG team argued that, the best way to tackle corruption in the country was to pass the Right to Information Bill as the citizens would be able to hold those in public office accountable for their actions armed with relevant information.

They reiterated their stance by stating that, with a Right to Information law in place, corruption could be minimised and offenders brought to book.

Central University College, represented by Latifa Alhassan and Joshua Batsa Narh beat Accra Technical University represented by Richard Sirate and Obodai Bright.

Central University College emerged the first runners-up with Accra Technical University and Islamic University College in a tie for third place.

Despite the passage of the Special Prosecutor Bill, there appears to be a strong line of argument that, a Right to Information law still remains one of the key outstanding tools required to effectively tackle corruption in Ghana.

This, many observers feel together with the Special Prosecutor Law will ensure that the fight against corruption is successful.

The Debate was supported by the US Embassy in Ghana.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post UG team wins IEA anti-corruption week debate contest appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The coalition said it noticed with keen interest how the Special Prosecutor bill was passed with urgency in accordance with the wish and preference of the Executive arm of government, and expects that same is done to the RTI bill which has not been passed for nearly ten years after it was first introduced in parliament.

[contextly_sidebar id=”9TDKi3PpRb91rOOHY1gzSlfdB7W6y9x0″]The coalition in a statement copied to citifmonline.com said, it was disappointed that the RTI bill was not placed before Parliament despite the commitment of the current government to expedite action on it.

“We share in the Finance Minister’s mention of the passage of the Office of Special Prosecutor Bill as an accomplishment in putting an anti-corruption arsenal together, but we are disappointed that the passage of the Right to Information Bill which would facilitate the provision of the necessary ammunition for the Office of Special Prosecutor has so far not been placed before Parliament,” it said.

“It is clear that Parliament prioritizes whatever business the Executive considers urgent and such business receives due attention and necessary action, as is appropriate,” it noted.

The Right to Information Coalition accused the Akufo-Addo government of not demonstrating seriousness in fulfilling its 2017 promise in the 2017 Budget to pass the RTI bill.

“It is worth noting that in the 2017 Budget Statement, the Finance Minister mentioned in paragraph 335 that “the Information Ministry will collaborate with all key stakeholders to agree on a programme of action for the passage of the Right to Information Bill into law.” The Minister further mentioned in paragraph 885 that “Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to passing the Right to Information Bill as part of our tools in fighting corruption. We will not pay lip service to fighting corruption.”

“Interestingly, eight (8) months down the line, the Finance Minister, in the 2018 Budget Statement, mentioned in paragraph 272 that “In line with the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP), a Parliamentary Committee will be established to follow up on PAC recommendations, the Conduct for Public Officers’ Bill, the Manual on Standards and Ethics to complement the Code of Conduct for MPs and the Right to Information Bill”.

Obviously, that commitment made in the 2017 Budget Statement seems to have been watered down,” it said.

“The Coalition finds the context in which the RTI Bill is mentioned in the 2018 Budget Statement very revealing, considering that government was not able to fulfill the commitments made on the Bill in the 2017 Budget Statement, but refused to at least commit to achieve and build on it in the upcoming year Budget Statement as done for other commitments that were unfulfilled. Comparing the commitments on the RTI Bill in both Budget Statements and the fact that the Bill has not even moved from the Executive to Parliament almost at the end of the first year of government’s term in office amidst the numerous promises, one can confidently conclude that government’s commitments on the Bill has waned,” it added.

The coalition said it will hold President Akufo-Addo by his word of making sure the bill is passed before the end of the year.

“In conclusion, we reiterate our call on President Nana Akufo-Addo to ensure that a Right to Information Bill is placed before Parliament before the end of the year, 2017 to begin the process of passage “very soon” as repeatedly promised,” it said.

About RTI

The right to information is a fundamental human right guaranteed by the country’s 1992 Constitution, and recognized as a right under International Conventions on Human rights.

The bill as it has been drafted, is to give substance to Article 21 (1) (f) of the Constitution which states that “All persons shall have the right to information subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society”.

The Right to Information Bill was first drafted in 1999 under the former president, Jerry John Rawlings. Various advocacy groups emerged to press for the immediate passing of the bill into law in 2002. The draft bill was reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its 2008 and 2012 election manifestos promised to ensure the bill is passed. In 2010, the bill was presented to Parliament for consideration.

In 2011, the government signed unto the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative with a commitment to pass by the bill. In November 2013, the bill was formally laid before parliament.

Former Attorney General, Deputy Dominic Ayine in 2015, moved the bill for second reading in Parliament. In October 2016, the bill was withdrawn and a replaced with a new one which was immediately laid.

Following the dissolution of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic and the swearing-in of new Parliament in January 2017, the bill is no longer in parliament.

It must be reintroduced to the House by the new government before work commences on it again.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Pass RTI Bill urgently as done for Special Prosecutor Bill – Coalition appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

They said one of the lessons learnt during their one-month project was the challenge in accessing critical information for their reviews.

“One of the lessons learnt is that, public officials are not very forthcoming when critical information is needed,” said Mr Gideon Sarpong, Co-Founder of Policy and Content Analysis at iWatch Africa.

[contextly_sidebar id=”SQSkh6Tg3o9JUWtdqMdWqhWuyHt2rvjC”]The Project aims at putting a spotlight on government’s promises and monitoring their implementation in communities across Ghana to get more citizens involved in governance in order to hold their leaders accountable, spearheaded by a group of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).

Mr. Sarpong, at the closing and evaluation session of the Project, lauded its impact in offering citizens the opportunity to objectively assess the performance of the government through its unified gauge accountability reports.

This, he said, would deepen the democratic process in Ghana, adding that the Project would continue to assess government’s commitments in the 2017 Budget Statement.

The Project reviewed commitments in Health, Education, Government Expenditure and Job Creation during the one month period.

“We look forward to expanding our focus areas to include procurement and SOEs in 2018,” Mr Sarpong said.

He raised concerns about the management of the public purse, which he said was not encouraging after review of several reports by the Auditor General.

“The attorney general has a mandate to recover all monies that were illegally expended,” he noted.

Mr. Sarpong said the iWatch Africa Team was engaging the Ministry of Information to find ways of addressing some of the challenges that they faced during the Project, especially with regard to access to information.

He added that they were also liaising with the Ghana Integrity Initiative on the way forward and how to sustain and scale up the Project in the future.

Ms. Sara V. Stealy, the Press Attaché at the United States’ Embassy in Ghana, commended the team for their hard work and said the focus areas tied in with the Embassy’s work in Ghana.

The use of digital media, including social media on the Project was good for shining the light on the issues identified.

She added that the work of the team represented former President Barack Obama’s vision for the YALI Project.

–

Source: GNA

The post RTI bill passage necessary for accountability – iWatch Africa appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He noted that the law will seek to provide members of the public with information to empower them towards improved participation in the democratic process.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Ewz9WI4Smp9iqbp2PGB8RVKUuaNa7HdF”]“Freedom of the Press is enshrined in Article 12 of the constitution and the right to free media is not indicted.  The right to free media is not hindered in any way in the absence of the law. Neither will its passage mean the Ghanaian media will be necessarily free or independent than it is today,”  Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah, also the Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi noted in an interview on GTV.

“A lot of people think that this Bill will open the gate for some kind of secret information to pop up without much work. Instead, the law, if passed, will provide all persons in Ghana a procedure by which they can access the already existent Right to Information as provided in Article 21(1) (f) of the constitution,” he explained.

He also stated government is working towards improving the already existing drafts to build stronger Public Affairs Units in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to deliver on information requests that will come when the new Bill is passed into law.

The RTI Bill was drafted in 1999 and reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007 but was not presented to Parliament.

The first attempt at enacting the law on the right to information was made when the Bill was presented to Parliament on February 5, 2010.

The Attorney-General on June 25, The Attorney General on June 25, 2015, moved the current incarnation of the Bill for the second reading which is currently awaiting passage in Parliament.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post RTI law will benefit all Ghanaians – Oppong Nkrumah appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.