The Coalition on the Right To Information (RTI) has indicated that the manifestoes of the two leading political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), do not give any reason for much to be expected on the RTI Law.
According to the Coalition, both parties drafted their manifesto promises as though they were not aware of the current realities of the RTI implementation.
The Coalition, together with some other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), including the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), held a press conference yesterday to mark 2020 International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).
The IDUAI came into being when the United Nations, at its 74th General Assembly held in October last year, proclaimed 28 September IDUAI Day.
Addressing the news conference, the Vice Chairperson for the RTI Coalition, Mrs Mina Mensah, said that the manifestoes of these parties revealed that most of their promised plan and policy proposals would require the effective functioning of robust access to information culture. However, not much was said in relation to RTI in these manifestoes.
She quoted the relevant portions of the NPP’s manifesto on the RTI, stating that the promise was presented as though RTI Commission already exists, and that everything seemed fine with the implementation.
“As a political party that forms the current government, they should be aware that this is not so, and should be seen to be proposing solutions to whatever challenges the government is currently having with the implementation process, including the issues that have stalled the setting up of the RTI Commission and its Board among others.
“More disappointing is the nearly absent indication in the manifesto of the opposition NDC on the issue on the RTI. Under [the] section titled ‘Freedom of the Media’ in their manifesto, they provide a one-liner that reads “continue the implementation of the RTI Act 2019.”
Madam Mensah also indicated that the action of the two was not only an inadequate indication of what they committed to do on the RTI if they are voted into office, but they also continue to erroneously create the impression that the RTI is about the media.
The Vice Chair stated that the RTI was not only about journalists, but every Ghanaian. “We wish to state emphatically again that the RTI is not only about journalists. It’s a law for all of us, including state actors, the private sector, academics and every Ghanaian and non-Ghanaians, as we all require information at one point or the other.”
She spoke about steps the Coalition had put in place to accelerate the process towards promulgating the subsidiary legislation to the current Act. She said the coalition was working on a Zero Draft of a Legislative Instrument to the RTI, as well as a request for information exercise to monitor institutions’ compliance with obligations under the Act.
She said there would be a ‘hall of fame and shame’ activity, where institutions that are complying with the Act will be commended, and those that are not will be called out, as well as the use of infographics to carry out public education on key sections of the Act to call on the government to speed up on the implementation process, and without further opaqueness.
The post 2020 Manifestoes don’t give hope on RTI -Coalition appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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