Parliament gets ready for RTI Bill

Accra, May 4, GNA - The leadership of the legislature on Monday gave indications of their approval for the passage of the Right to Information law and called on the executive to lay the bill before the House.

Mr Alban Bagbin, Majority Leader and Mr Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader, expressed concern about the delay of the executive in presenting the RTI Bill to Parliament over the past seven years. "The Executive should present the bill to us in its current form, we as the peoples' representatives will take it and consult people and other stakeholders to ensure that it conforms to international best practice," Mr Bagbin stated in Accra as the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day.


The two leaders were speaking during a panel discussion on the topic: "Elections: An Essential Element of a Democratic Society," organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) as part of the 9th Annual National Constitution Week Celebration.


The Majority Leader said: "As the legislative arm of Government the 1992 Constitution restraints us, we cannot do anything about the Bill until it is laid before us.the Constitution empowers the executive - President - as the "only" body to lay a bill before Parliament."


Responding to the accusation that parliamentarians did not participate in the National Constitution Week celebrations, Mr Bagbin called for closer collaboration between the NCCE and Parliament. The Majority Leader called on the government to build a Democracy House, where all the Independent Governance Institutes (IGI) could be accommodated.


Mr Bagbin expressed concern about the lack of official accommodation for the NCCE, which continues to squat at the premises of the Electoral Commission.

Mr Mensah-Bonsu said: "The RTI Bill has been in the oven for too long, it's now time to bring out and parliament is ready to partner the executive for the passage of the Bill."


He also supported calls for strengthening of democratic institutions including the NCCE and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to play their effective roles in entrenching good governance.


The Minority Leader called for financial autonomy of IGI, stressing the need to streamline allocation of resources to these institutions. "I found it difficult to understand why last year the Electoral Commission collected about GH¢420,000 for HIV/AIDS education. This year again allocation has been made to the EC for HIV/AIDS education, while the NCCE was left out," Mr Mensah-Bonsu said.


He also challenged officials of the NCCE to uphold the political independence of the Commission. "I can stand for the chairman but there are some officials whose political biases are unacceptable." Mr Laary Farhan Bimi, NCCE Chairman, called for the strengthening of democratic institutions to perform their civic roles, "as they hold the key for entrenching democracy in the country".


Mr Bimi expressed concern about the poor budgetary allocation to the NCCE for its operation, which had prevented the celebration of the Constitution Week at the regional level. 4 May 09