A right to information bill passed on second reading Oct. 27 by the Ghana parliament, bringing it closer than ever to passage.
But as FreedomInfo.org publishes at 1:00 p.m. EST Nov. 3, the bill still faced difficulties getting final approval on the last day of the session.
“The opposition raised unnecessary issues with some clauses and consideration was delayed,” a source reported. Representatives of the RTI Coalition were meeting with the Majority Leader.
The final hurdle is third reading. The final day of the session was slated to be Nov. 3 (not webcast.)
Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dominic Ayine, moved the motion for the second reading of the bill, and was seconded by the Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Magnus Kofi Amoatey, reported Ghana Web.
“The Majority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, gave an assurance that Parliament would do its best to pass the bill,” according to the article, which quoted him as saying: “I can assure you that we will do whatever we can to get the bill passed. Whatever it takes to get this bill passed before we rise, Parliament will definitely do so.”
The Attorney General recently repackaged the bill to facilitate its passage and has said passage was urgent, although the government did not request a certificate of urgency, according to an Oct. 26 article in Ghana Web. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.)
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