“It is important that the Parliament work assiduously in dealing promptly with the requisite clauses in the Bill that need consideration to facilitate its passage in order to further deepen democratic governance”.

Mr Boateng  Assumeng, who was addressing a day’s sensitization workshop on the RTI Bill at Bibiani in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality in the Western Region, indicated that Ghana was not living in isolation within the scope of the global political la1ndscape.

There was, therefore, the need to bring democratic governance to standard, in line with contemporary demands, especially in areas bothering on the people’s right to information.

The workshop was sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and facilitated by GACC, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and SEND-Ghana, all civil society organizations (CSOs).

It targeted traditional authorities, assembly-members and officials, security agencies, identifiable youth and women groups, traders, artisans, persons living with disability, students and teachers, the media and a cross-section of the public.

Mr Boateng Assumeng observed that the programme was designed to increase the participants’ understanding of the RTI Bill, thereby allowing them to brainstorm and make meaningful inputs for its successful passage into law.

He argued that access to information was an inalienable right of the citizenry, for which reason all stakeholders must join the campaign for the realization of that objective to uphold the rule of law.

 The right to information is a fundamental human right guaranteed by the country’s 1992 Constitution and recognized as a right under international conventions on human rights.

The Bill, when passed, will give substance to Article 21 (1) (f) of the Constitution which states: “All persons shall have the right to information subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society.”

 Mr Boateng said it was first drafted in 1999 and had since gone through series of reviews in 2003, 2005 and 2007, before finding a temporary home in Parliament on February 5, 2010.

 He acknowledged the fact that countries embracing the right to information had been able to keep public officials on their toes as to how they managed the people’s resources.

 Under such circumstances the citizenry were able to keep track of the implementation of development programmes and projects in their respective areas as and when they were rolled out.

Nana Kwabena Gyamfi Akwabeng I, Abontendomhene of the Sefwi-Anhwiaso Traditional Area, took a swipe at successive governments for their refusal to facilitate the processes for the passage of the Bill into law.

 “If they have nothing to hide, then why arethey hesitant to do the honourable thing,” he asked in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the programme.

 Majority of the participants were also in unison with the traditional ruler, calling on the government to have the political will to ensure that RTI Bill saw the light of the day.