GHANA’S PARLIAMENT, EXECUTIVE ASSURE RIGHT-TO-INFORMATION BILL WILL BE PASSED THIS YEAR

ACCRA, Representatives of both the Executive and Legislature of Ghana have issued strong declarations that Ghana’s decade-old Right-to-Information (RTI) Bill will be passed into law this year.

While government representatives say passage of the Bill is “non-negotiable”, the leadership of Parliament maintains that lawmakers are not in a “dilemma” in enacting the Bill into law.

Speaking on the occasion of Press Freedom Day Wednesday, Minister of Information Mustapha Abudul-Hamid said: Passing the Bill is non-negotiable and will happen in this May-to-July session of Parliament.

He said the government was committed and would restart the process of submitting the Bill to Parliament at the next sitting for debate and passage.

House Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu stated that Parliament is not in dilemma in passing the information Bill as was the case for the Broadcasting bill. The country is in search for right to information and broadcasting laws and Parliament was never in dilemma in their passage.”

He noted that it was the disappointment of the media in both the Executive and in Parliament was understandable but assured of Parliament’s commitment to pass into law these two important pieces of legislation.

He added that Parliament would not transgress or strangulate the media but would continue to support policies that aim to fight graft in the society.

Deputy Majority Leader Sarah Adwoa Sarfo also said both the Executive and the Legislature had committed themselves to passing the Right-to-Information and the Broadcasting Bills.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK