Akoto Ampaw, Renowned legal practitioner
Renowned legal practitioner, Akoto Ampaw has cautioned President Akufo-Addo not to treat the appointment of members of the Right to Information (RTI) commission as “job for the boys”.
According to him appointing the members based on political merit will compromise the implementation of the law.
He added that the proper consideration of appointees of the RTI commission is important since their performance will determine if the institution will have a proper foundation or not.
Speaking at public forum on the theme implementation of Right to Information bill, Akoto Ampaw identified some challenges in the RTI law which will be implemented in 2020.
He said government must be ready to govern with transparency and the appointment of member of the RTI commission shouldn’t be based on political merits.
“…membership of that commission is key especially because, the first members of the commission will be those who would ensure whether the institution has a proper foundation or not. If we have people appointed by the president who are there simply to do bidding of the president then we going to have a huge problem.”
“I want to appeal to the president of the country that appointment of first members of the commission should not be based on jobs for the boys or girls. It should be based on commitment to the long-term interest of this country in building a democratic society” he added
The parliament of Ghana finally passed the RTI bill into law in March 2019.
The RTI which will be implemented in January 2020 seeks to provide constitutional right to information held by the public and some private institutions, subject to exemptions that are necessary and consistent with the protection of public interest in a democratic society.
It also seeks to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs and to provide for related matters.
