ACCRA, March 25, (GJA) – THE Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has commended the Executive for laying the Right to Information Bill, 2018 in Parliament and urged the House to pass the bill immediately.
“We call on Parliament to end the musical chair game with the bill and pass it into law immediately,” the GJA said in a statement issued Sunday and signed by its President, Affail Monney.
“The current Parliament will make history if it passes the RTI Bill for Ghana to join about 22 other African countries with such law,” it added.
The RTI Bill was laid in Parliament last Friday, March 23, 2018 after it was withdrawn before the last Parliament was dissolved.
“It is the hope of the GJA that there no longer will be a turning back to provide Ghana with a Right to Information law that is both practicable and operational,” the GJA stressed.
Below is the full statement:
GJA commends Executive for laying RTI Bill and urges Parliament to pass it immediately
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) wishes to commend the Executive for laying the Right to Information Bill, 2018 in Parliament last Friday, March 23, 2018, for the first reading, after it was withdrawn from the House just before the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic was dissolved. We find it very refreshing that after months of campaigning by civil society organisations in particular for the re-laying and passage of the RTI Bill, the Executive has responded by sending the bill back to Parliament.
The GJA commends civil society for their persistence, and not relenting in their commitment to carry out the campaign for the law to be passed in the interest of the people’s legitimate constitutional right to know. We recall the torturous journey the RTI Bill has made in and out of Parliament since it was first laid in the House about two decades ago. Unfortunately, and rather sadly, the bill was never passed.
That notwithstanding, the GJA highly commends President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for walking his talk by taking the initial step to get the bill passed in line with his pledge in his 61st Independence Anniversary Address that, he would work to get the RTI Bill passed “before the end of this Meeting of Parliament”. His pledge to get the bill passed is to lend support to the fight against corruption.
We call on Parliament to end the musical chair game with the bill and pass it into law immediately. The current Parliament will make history if it passes the RTI Bill for Ghana to join about 22 other African countries with such law. It is the hope of the GJA that there no longer will be a turning back to provide Ghana with a Right to Information law that is both practicable and operational.
The GJA acknowledges the important role civil society organisations have played in championing the passage of the RTI Bill. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) deserves commendation for being the originator of the bill, while the RTI Coalition and other organizations need to be applauded for a sustained campaign to get the bill passed. But the mere laying of the bill in Parliament does not mean all must go to sleep. Given the past experiences, we urge civil society organisations to join the GJA in a relentless campaign until total victory is won.
While stressing the need for the RTI Bill to be passed promptly, the GJA also wishes to draw the Executive and Legislature’s attention to the Broadcast Bill, which has also suffered similar fate as the RTI Bill for many years. We believe these two bills, when passed into law, will enhance transparency and accountability, as well as deepen the country’s fledgling democracy.
Signed:
Affail Monney
(President)
By Peter Crabbe