ADVERTISEMENT

Parliament withdraws RTI bill again over procedural concerns

At an emergency sitting Thursday to consider and ratify a number of bills, the House held that the bill, which was first drafted in 1999, was not urgent in nature.

The bill, which has been on the floor of Parliament for over 10 years failed to meet the urgency of the reconvened Parliament.

The RTI Bill was laid before Parliament on 23 March as part of the itinerary that saw the controversial US military passed. However, it was deferred due to some procedural issues raised by the Minority Leader Haruna Idrissu.

ADVERTISEMENT

In making the decision to withdraw the bill Thursday night, the House took the view that it had not been gazetted.

This means the bill will now be taken through the normal parliamentary procedure of gazetting and be considered after 14 days.

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.

Despite many pledges by previous governments on the importance of the bill in the fight against corruption, none has been able to get it passed in Parliament.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh

ADVERTISEMENT