Ghana’s parliament “does not appear eager to pass” a right to information bill, according to reporting by Nana Poku in News Ghana.
The article quotes George Loh, a member of Parliament for North Dayi and ranking member of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee:
Let me say it here and now, that some members of parliament feel they would be exposed to ridicule and scrutiny if the bill is passed into law in its current state… My colleagues have intentionally refused to pass it, by dragging their feet to stall this important bill. Even some chiefs, heads of corporations, ministries of state and others call me daily, and tell me to sit on the bill in order to protect them against public ridicule and prosecution.
Loh said some of his colleagues have deliberately put it on the back burner by asking already answered questions on some clauses in an attempt to delay the passage of the bill, the Ghana News article says.
Only about 20 percent of the bill’s 116 clauses have been debated in Parliament since on-again off-again deliberations began in May. (See FreedomInfo.org reports in May 19, May 26 and July 7.) Parliament will take a recess at the end of July and Loh was doubtful of action before then.
He said: “Some of us are poised to pass the bill frankly speaking, but we are seriously obstructed by our colleagues and some influential people in the country who feel threatened. But I shall continue to do my best; if it can be sneaked through and if we are lucky, it may happen.”
Separately, a think tank, IMANI Ghana, said in an article that public confidence in most government and state-appointed officials has eroded. The article says:
Public confidence in most government and state-appointed officials has been eroded with successive reports of flagrant scandals involving massive impropriety. As a matter of fact, the inability of Ghana’s parliament to accelerate the passing of the freedom of information bill, almost a decade and a half [since its inception], compared to the speed with which the same parliament passed multi-million dollar bills overnight and [its’ intention to pursue a communication bill that was designed to eavesdrop on electronic communications, clearly indicated to the interested public that where there is motivation, the legislature can, indeed, rally around and pass bills.
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