I’m against Right to Information Law - Kennedy Agyapong

Anti-corruption campaigner and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong has revealed having a strong dislike for the passage of the Right to Information Bill (RTI) now a law.

“Personally the Right to Information bill I don’t support it but once we are all parliamentarians and majority decided I have to go by it”, the lawmaker spoke to an online radio station in Amsterdam monitored MyNewsGh.com.

According to the lawmaker, the RTI law does not mean public information must be accessible particularly to journalists with the ideas that they can publish defamatory statements about individual’s private life.

“The Right to Information law is not even access for journalists to defame”, the outspoken lawmaker pointed out in the interview hosted by Nana Yaw Amoako Gyampa.

Before giving assent to the Act, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo expressed his satisfaction that the passing of the Act came into effect during his time as President, and in the time of the 7th Parliament.

“I want to congratulate the 7th Parliament for its courage, sense of responsibility and commitment to good governance in passing this significant piece of legislation,” the President added.

The purposes of the Act, as set out in its Preamble, is to provide for the implementation of the constitutional right to information held by any public institution, and to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs.

This in the view of President “should enhance the quality of governance of our country, and provide a critical tool in the fight against corruption in public life.”

With Parliament having provided that Act comes into effect in the next financial year, i.e. January 2020, because of the financial consequences in the implementation of the law, the President stated that this is to give the public treasury the opportunity to make the necessary allocations to enable the Act to be effective.

“I am very happy that this law has finally been passed, and I did make the commitment that, when it was brought to me, I would give my assent to it right away. It was, in fact, brought to me yesterday afternoon,” the President said.

He continued, “But, on second thought, I felt that I should sign it in the plain view of the Ghanaian people, for you to know that this long-winding parliamentary process has finally come to an end.