Pressure mounts on government to pass the Right to Information Bill
The Coalition on the Right to Information has heightened pressure on parliament to pass the right to information bill into law. The group is worried that the bill which has been with the house for many years remains a bill when the law is needed to enhance the country’s democratic dispensation.
The right to information is founded on the political and constitutional principle of the sovereignty of the people which is affirmed in the very first Article of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and is recognized as a right by international conventions on human rights.
Every individual has the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kind as these are necessary in a free democratic society. It is therefore vital that a law is put in place which will streamline which information is available, how it is available, and from whom and where.
Speaking at a forum to discuss the need for an active media involvement for the quick passage of the bill, Vice President of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), Affail Monney, emphasized the need for the passage of the bill into law.
He further stated that the benefits of the right to information law are enormous stating that it will inform the individual about the whole range of government policies, decisions and activities needed to become more involved in the political and decision-making processes.
The representative of the Coalition of the Right to Information Bill, Caroline Nalule stressed that the absence of an independent oversight mechanism among others in the current bill continue to hamper the passage of the bill into a law.
She urged the country’s lawmaker to emulate Sierra-Leone, Nigeria and even Liberia who have been able to implement the law.
Accra, May 22, 2012
The Supreme Court has thrown out the case of conflict of interest brought against New Patriotic Chairman Jake Obetsebi Lamptey by... 
May 22, 2012
A third of malaria drugs used around the world to stem the spread of the disease are counterfeit.
Researchers who looked at 1,500 sampl... 
Accra, May 22, 2012
Suicide cases in Ghana are on the rise and according to statistics from the Network for Anti-suicide and Crisis Prevention, five ... 