RTI Law: Journalists urged to pressurize duty bearers

The Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Right To Information (RTI) Coalition, Elvis Darko, has urged media practitioners to collaborate with other stakeholders to get the Right To Information Bill fully operationalized in the country.

According to him, the media can be successful only when they come together with a united voice and action in the RTI fight.  He pointed out that there are numerous challenges journalists and information seekers are going through to access information despite the fact that the RTI Law has been passed.

“We also have to come out with huge campaign against the Fees and Charges. If we should seat and think that Parliament or government will voluntarily do it, we will seat here for the next four to five years and this will not happen, it will not be passed,” he insinuated.

Elvis Darko made these remarks during his opening statement at a Capacity Building Workshop for members of the Media Coalition on RTI and UNESCO Monitoring Tools on SDG 16.10.2.

Parliamentary Network Africa (PN Africa) – the Organizers of the Workshop for media practitioners also had journalists joining from across the country via Zoom.

Presentations were delivered from renowned persons from media circles and academia, among them are Alhaji Tanko – a Lawyer and Lecturer from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), and the Programs Manager for Penplusbytes, Jerry Sam.

Participants had the opportunity to give their input during a group discussion and their subsequent report from the group work which was done both at the venue and online.

The Chairman for the RTI Coalition said there are some State Institutions that use charging of fees before releasing information out to the public, “thereby denying Journalists and the public at large the right to information.”.

“This development is very worrying and as we said before and we will repeat, the right to information is not only for journalists. Every ordinary Ghanaian has the right to fetch for information. So if a Journalist is facing these challenges what will be the fate of the ordinary Ghanaian,” Elvis Darko asked.

“We believe that it is therefore important that we call on government and parliament to do whatever that they have to do and band the fees and charges. So that public officials who will hide behind some huge charges that would not allow us to have access to information will have the law passed,” he added.

“So I am using this opportunity to call on all of us that very soon, the media Coalition will contact all partners and come up with a strategy that will put pressure on law makers. To make sure we know that this and that is what I need for this information. Else these people will frustrate us in getting access to information.”

By Isaac Dzidzoamenu