Accra, Sept. 28, GNA - Ghana on Friday joined the global community to commemorate the International Right to Know Day with a call on government to promulgate the Right to Information Bill.
In letter to the Government Advisor on Right to Information Legislation, Mr Justice V. C. R. C. A. Crabbe, the Coalition on the Right to Information stated its opposition to the current form of the Bill describing it as too weak to guarantee the full enjoyment of the right to information as guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution.
"The Bill falls short of the minimum international standards such as maximum disclosure, limited exceptions for withholding information and the establishment of effective and efficient appeals mechanisms as propounded by the United Nations," the Coalition stated. It said the citizens had the Right to Know how elected officials were exercising power and how the taxpayers' money was being spent by government and other politically appointed officials. International Right to Know Day was established to mark the founding of the global Freedom of Information Advocates Network on 28 September 2002.
The 5th International Right to Know Day is being celebrated globally to raise awareness of every individual's right of access to government-held information.
The Coalition organised a series of activities to commemorate the Day including sharing of ideas with other democratic stakeholders and media encounters to outline militant strategies to be adopted by the Coalition to ensure that government promulgates the Bill before the end of year. The Coalition called on the government to review the Bill, as it currently did not provide a strong enough affirmation of international acceptable norms on right to information. The Preamble, according to the Coalition, should reflect on commitment to create a right to information, which should incorporate access to information.
Other issues raised included the principle of maximum disclosure, which should affirm in unambiguous terms the principle of maximum disclosure and limited exceptions under which exceptions should be narrowly formulated to protect a legitimate aim.
According to the Coalition, based on the increasing role of private entities in public affairs it was crucial that the obligations for disclosure were broadened to include private bodies whose activities affected the public sphere and the rights of individuals. The Ghana RTI Coalition members are Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Ghana News Agency, Ghana Journalists Association, Media Foundation for West Africa, Centre for Democratic Development and Centre for Environmental Law and Development. The rest are Ghana Integrity Initiative, Ghana Bar Association, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Legal Resources Centre and the Foundation for Christian Workers International.
