Pressurize your MPs for the passage of RTI bill into law-NCCE N/R director tells citizens

Northern regional director for National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Alhaji Abdul Razk Saani has called on the citizenry to put pressure on the members of parliament to pass the Right to Information (RTI) bill into law.

The NCCE director said the bill when passed into law will give ordinary citizens the opportunity to demand that rights things are done especially, execution of developmental projects in the communities.  

He said Ghana has been saddled with mismanagement because the citizens have no access to information.

The RTI bill has been in the shelves for about 11 years now under successive governments in spite of civil society organizations advocating its passage into law.

At a public forum on the right to information bill organized by northern region chapter of the Right to Information Coalition in Tamale, the NCCE director noted that the bill when passed into law will make governance comfortable for both politicians and the citizenry.  

The coalition is made up of civil society organizations, NGOs individuals, NCCE and the media. He said if Ghanaians really need development, every Ghanaian must be equipped with the necessary information adding that it can help the country get out of the economic challenges facing it.

 He challenged individuals, pressure groups to adopt measures such as writing petitions and peaceful demonstrations to demand the passage of RTI bill into law. 

Alhaji Abdul Razak reminded advocates of democracy that democracy does not thrive with lies and that there is the need for citizens to be given access to information.

The NCCE director explained that the passage of RTI bill into law will help clarify issues such as cost of construction of speed ramps in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies. ’’Rumors making rounds in Tamale are that, the metropolitan assembly is using a hundred million old Ghana cedis for the construction of a speed ramp in some communities in the metropolis; I’m not saying it’s true and I don’t think it’s true but that is the perception among residents, if RTI bill is passed into law, citizens can walk to the assembly and ascertain the truth of the matter,’’ Alhaji Abdul Razak observed.

The bill which is currently before parliament has kept many Ghanaians in a state of dilemma with others asking the motive behind MPs’ reluctance to pass the bill into law.

The northern Regional Coordinator of right to information coalition, Zakaria Mahama, described attitudes of the legislature as feet dragging towards the passage of RTI bill into law.

 Mr Zakaria expressed surprise at the behavior of both the majority and the minority in Ghana’s parliament and hinted that the coalition may resort to series of demonstrations to press home their demands.