A member of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), Dr Steve Manteaw, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to ensure that the Right to Information Bill is passed soon.
The President has said the decade-old Right to Information Bill is critical in the fight against corruption, promising to present it to Parliament again for passage in the coming days.
ALSO READ: No miscreant will have the space to terrorise citizens- Akufo-Addo
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said on Tuesday that the bill, when it becomes a law, would increase transparency and add another critical arsenal in the fight against corruption.
“After many years of hesitation, we intend to bring a Bill again to Parliament and work to get it passed into law before Parliament rises,” the President said at the Black Star Square during a speech to mark Ghana’s 61st Independence Day anniversary.
The bill when passed will give power to the constitutional provision that gives every Ghanaian the right to information.
ALSO READ: RTI Bill to be considered soon
It will form the basis for every citizen to go to any government agency to demand information that should be public but may have been unpublished.
But reacting to the President’s remark, Dr Manteaw who is also a policy analyst with the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), urged the President to make sure that the Bill is passed under its tenure and not wait till exit from office is near before it is passed.
ALSO READ: 11th hour attempt to pass RTI Bill a ‘joke’ – Emile Short
“It’s good if the President talks about the RTI bill and its passage. I’m urging the president to, instead of waiting for their party to leave office before ensuring that the bill is passed, ensure that it’s passed as soon as possible”, he said on Accra-based radio, Neat FM.
According to him, if the President is committed to fight corruption, then he should ensure the passage of the RTI Bill.