Revise Fee Scheme Under Right To Information Bill

Parliament has been asked to consider revising the fee scheme under the Right to Information Bill before passing it into law. The central Regional Chapter of the Coalition on the Right to Information, which made the call, said the Scheme, where a person was expected to pay for the information required would defeat the purpose of the bill if it was passed into law. �What happens if paupers want information?� the coalition queried. At a press conference on the bill in Cape Coast, Mr Ebenezer Aggrey, a co-ordinator with the coalition, said demanding payment for information would automatically deny a majority of the people who could not pay from accessing the needed information. This, he said, would defeat the purpose of the bill that sought to grant equal access to information by all. Mr Aggrey also noted that it was important for Parliament to consider and revise the number of days required for the provision of information provided in the bill, saying that the 56 days provided for the information holder or agency to provide information was too long and must be reduced. He further urged Parliament o look at the exemptions provided under the bill to ensure that the law, if passed, should really serve the purpose for which it was passed. He also called on Parliament to expedite action on the bill by passing it before the end of the year. Mr Kwadwo Addo Tuffour of the centre for Development studies of the University of Cape Coast and a member of the coalition, who chaired the function, said sovereignty must reside with the people, adding that the speedy passage of the bill into law would enable Ghanaians to effectively participate in the governance and administration of the nation. He said it was time people in positions accepted that they must be accountable. He noted that if passing the bill into law would promote good governance, it must then work to reduce excuses for information holders to use direction to conceal information from the public, adding that it was sometimes very frustrating dealing with public information holders. He called for an independent body or commission with the powers of a high court subpoena anyone who refused to disclose public information. Ac Co-ordinator of the Coalition, Mrs Baaba Fletcher, commended President Mills fir wrong on the bill an submitting it to Parliament for passage. She said civil society would continue to work to ensure transparency and accountability. She expressed optimism that the passage of the bill would also promote responsible journalism.