Accra, Sept. 19, GNA – Nana Oye Lithur, Human Rights Activist on Friday reiterated the need for government to deliver on its pledged by passing the Right to Information Bill (RTI) as a legacy for its tenure of office. Speaking in an interview with GNA in Accra, She said President John Agyekum Kufuor, during his state of the Nation Address promised to make the passage of the RTI a priority but to date, the Bill was still pending before Cabinet.
She noted that although Article 21 section one of the 1992 constitution granted citizens the right to information, specific law outlining how this right should be exercised was absent. This makes the public’s right to information to be regarded as a privilege rather than right enshrined in the constitution. Nana Oye Lithur said the absence of the Bill had undermined the work of the media and non governmental organisations who were to play the watch-dog role to help monitor issues relating human right abuse, corruption and misused of public office and funds. RTI is a Bill designed to give the public the right to access official information as well as enforcing the fundamental human rights of the citizenry as stated in Article 21 one section (f) of the constitution.
According to the Human Right Activist, RTI when passed would enable Ghanaians the right to request for information and would also serve as a benchmark for good governance and reduce corruption. It would also strengthen democracy in Ghana by increasing citizen participation through empowerment and promote transparency and accountability in public offices. 19 Sept 08
Source: GhanaWeb
