Group calls for ‘urgent’ passage of Freedom of Information Bill

The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) on Thursday appealed to all political parties to support the Coalition on Right to Information’s call for the urgent passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill.

The call was made in a statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in reaction to an assertion by Mr Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader that, “Passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill was less important and for that matter, not a priority among various bills currently under consideration by Parliament for passage”.

AFAG pointed out that it was the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which promised Ghanaians during the electioneering campaign in 2008 that, when elected into Government, it would deal with the passage of the FOI bill as soon as possible to demonstrate their commitment to the fight against corruption.

It said available information indicated that as part of its commitment to the fight against corruption, the NPP Government under President John Agyekum Kufour repealed the Criminal Libel law and passed the Internal Audit Act, Financial Administration Act, Public Procurement Law and the Whistle Blowers Act.

“AFAG  can’t make mention of any bill passed under President John Evans Atta Mills which is aimed at tackling the menace of corruption in this country. We are however, aware of a range of corruption scandals, rocking various sectors under the watch of President Mills with little or no effort taken to reprimand such public officials and their allies.”

Source: GNA