RTI COALITION BLASTS MAHAMA OVER FAILURE

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

The Coalition on the Right to Information (RTI) has berated President John Mahama and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for failing to pass the Right to Information bill into law. The bill has been lying in parliament since 2013.

According to the coalition, countries like South Sudan, Guinea, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Nigeria, Rwanda and most recently Kenya and Tanzania, had all passed the law and so did not understand why Ghana, which touts itself as a pacesetter for democratic practice in Africa, cannot pass such a law.

The bill when passed into law, is expected to give substance to Article 21 (1) (f) of the 1992 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.”

A statement issued in Accra by members of the coalition said they were raising the issue once again because President Mahama had been invited by UNESCO to deliver the keynote address at an event in Paris to mark the first International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) which falls on September 28.

According to the coalition, September 28 was previously called the ‘Right to Know Day’ before it was declared by UNESCO member states in November 2015 as an international day to be celebrated as the IDUAI and wondered if the selection of President Mahama to speak at the event “marks a new dawn for access to information in Ghana.”

The coalition said President Mahama is expected to speak on peace, justice and strong institutions, specifically elaborating on the role of media and access to information in promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, promoting access to justice for all and on building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

“Should we expect that after this international event, H.E will be motivated to, upon his return, engage Parliament to secure the passage of the RTI Bill with the critical amendments, as his government committed to do under the 2012-14 and 2016-17Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plans?”

The coalition said that the event, which is aimed at highlighting the key importance of Access to Information in the success of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), will bring other guest speakers including journalists, NGO workers, entrepreneurs, academics, etc. to share their experience and ideas on eleven SDGs, with emphasis on how access to information will help in achieving them.

“The RTI Coalition believes that the selection of President Mahama to speak on such a day as the IDUAI and on such a topic, even though ironic - given that Ghana has failed for more than a decade to put in place an access to information legislation - presents an opportunity for the President to make concrete commitments on the passage of an effective and efficient RTI legislation before the current Parliament lapses in 2017.”

No Political Will

The coalition reminded the president that the progress to secure the review and passage of the RTI Bill since 2013 “has been very slow,” adding, “In June 2016 the consideration of the Bill was stalled due to the lack of political will by the current Parliament to prioritize the consideration of the Bill as they promised.

“As a Coalition, we are concerned that President Mahama has not demonstrated strong commitment to the passage of the RTI Bill, despite his party’s commitment to same in their 2008 and 2012 manifestos.

“Being an election year, the failure by the 6th Parliament to pass the Bill before its tenure lapses would mean that the process will have to commence all over again with the new government and the new Parliament.

“As a result of this, the Coalition sent a petition to President Mahama through the Chief of Staff on August 18 2016 asking him to deliver on his party’s previous manifesto promises on the RTI Bill. Till date the Coalition has not received any response to the petition.”

 “We would like H.E to know that Ghana as the beacon of democracy in Africa, as he emphasized at the recent UN General Assembly (UNGA), is lagging behind in terms of promoting access to information for citizens to effectively participate in governance and make informed choices. Several other African countries, including countries in transition, have successfully passed the law.”