The Media Coalition on the right of information bill says it will continue pile pressure on parliament to pass the Right to Information Bill (RTI Bill) into law when the house resumes next year.
Parliament has given itself a deadline of February 2019 to pass the bill after it failed to do so before it went on recess.
A leading member of the media coalition on RTI, Elvis Darko said they will use all legal means available to get Parliament to pass the bill into law next year.
Elvis Darko, leading member of Media Coalition on RTI
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Background
The Right to Information Bill was first drafted in 1999 under former president, Jerry John Rawlings.
Various advocacy groups emerged to press for the immediate passing of the bill into law in 2002 and reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its 2008 and 2012 election manifestos promised to ensure the Bill was passed. In 2010, it was presented to Parliament for consideration.
In 2011, the government signed unto the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative with a commitment to pass the law. In November 2013, the Bill was formally laid before parliament.
Former Attorney General, Deputy Dominic Ayine in 2015, moved the Bill for second reading in Parliament. In October 2016, the Bill was withdrawn and replaced with a new one which was immediately laid.
Following the dissolution of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic and the swearing-in of new Parliament in January 2017, the Bill had to be re-laid by the new government before work commences on it.