RTI Coalition Accuses Parliament Of Rejecting Its Input

The Coalition on the Right to Information (RTI) has accused Parliament’s joint committee on Legal, Constitutional Affairs and Communications of deliberately omitting key inputs made by the coalition after a meeting aimed at making amendments that will ensure that Ghana has a comprehensive bill.

The group has been pushing for the amendment of some clauses in the Right to Information bill which is before parliament.

Chairman of the RTI Coalition, Seth Abloso said the group identified several loopholes in the bill in its current state which need to be addressed before it is passed.

But the two committees of parliament working on the bill expunged their contributions to satisfy selfish motives, he alleged.

“We were invited to join them to make inputs and we are surprised most of the inputs we made are missing in the report the committee has presented to parliament,” Mr. Abloso told Starr news’ Asabea Akonor

“So, I will want to say that it is inadvertent that it is an oversight,” he added.

The Right to Information Bill was laid before Parliament by the Deputy Attorney General Joseph Kpemka Dindiok in March and it has been 22 years since the first Right to Information RTI Bill was drafted under the auspices of the Institute of Economic Affairs, IEA.

Also, it is 16 years since the Executive arm of government in 2002 drafted the first RTI Bill. The draft Executive Bill was subsequently reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007 but was never laid in Parliament until February 5, 2010.

Source: Starrfmonline.com