“…Re: RTI Bill is needed to curb corruption in the country. Ms. Priscilla S. Djentuh tells us “…The majority leader Alban Bagbin…assured Ghanaians of the passage of the RTI Bill into law when parliament resumes its sitting after the 2016 elections…”. The problem for Ghana is, “majority leader Alban Bagbin”, and his NDC party have practically been saying the same thing the last 4 years, the last 8 years. Alban Bagbin would say the same thing every month the next 4 years too. But they got defeated at the polls…THEREFORE…given the lessons of history…and Mahama’s unethical appointment of the new Chief for CHRAJ, etc., no sane, reasonable mind can expect the in-coming NPP government to agree to a Mahama version of a so-called Right to Information Bill. It does not make sense! It ain’t gonna happen under Mahama of Bole!…” (Prof Lungu, 26 Dec 16).
Of late, we have been receiving a lot of questions, messages, and correspondence on the subject of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, some, in fact, from our relatives in Ghana and overseas. So, we read with a certain sense of sharply-moderated hope Ms. Priscilla S. Djentuh’s article on Ghanaweb titled, “Feature: RTI Bill is needed to curb corruption in the country”.
As things are, we’ve never cared for the title/name “Right to Information” for a law that tells citizens you have FREE access to information held by government, unless we the government can provide a compelling, authoritatively, impartially, arbitrated reason why we the government must withhold the information, or even charge you money for that information.
Free access implies “FREEDOM”, unlike a “Right” a government can take way any time the government wants.
We’ve said that going on 10 years, and still hold that to be the case.
As such, we rather prefer “Freedom of Information (FOI), for symbolic reasons, then some. After all, as we’ve noted the nth time, Mugabe has a Right to Information (RTI) bill for Zimbabwe.
So, are there a lot of Ghanaians who would want a Mugabe “Right to Information” (RTI) bill for Ghana?
We doubt there are any who are sane!
Fact is, “Right to Information” does not inspire even chickens. But, sadly, that is how stunningly absent-minded the Accra-based “Right to Information Coalition (CRTI)”, have been over the years. It is time the Coalition shifted their strategy to “FREEDOM”.
“Freedom”, as in “Freedom of Information” (FOI) bill!
It is “Freedom of Information” that inspires, after all!
It is “Freedom of Information” that turns even chickens into hawks and produces the greatest defenders of free access to information held by the government in the name of the People.
FACT: There is no singular supporter of the FOI bill greater than www. GhanaHero.com.
Hell, not only do they have a dedicated webpage going on 12 years, they even have the first recorded song for the FOI bill, FOIB, on their website, WWW.ghanahero.com/FOIB.html. That FOIB hit song was recorded when Kibaki was shooting and molesting some of his fellow Kenyans.
(Visit, read, listen, reflect!).
FOIB: We don’t want no Kibaki problem, seen!
MAHAMA & NDC BETRAYED GHANA: According to Ms. Priscilla S. Djentuh, “…The majority leader Alban Bagbin,…assured Ghanaians of the passage of the RTI Bill into law when parliament resumes its sitting after the 2016 elections…”.
The problem for Ghana is, “majority leader Alban Bagbin”, and his NDC party have practically been saying the same thing the last 4 years, the last 8 years. Alban Bagbin would say the same thing every month during the next 4 years too.
But, they got defeated at the polls.
THEREFORE, at this stage, given the lessons of history, the historic defeat of the NDC, and Mahama’s unethical appointment of the new Chief for CHRAJ, etc., no sane, reasonable mind can expect the in-coming NPP government to agree to a Mahama version of a so-called Right to Information Bill.
Not!
Not so, since the bill itself was originally an NPP draft that the NDC government took and fooled around with for 8 long years while corruption thrived under their noses!
Not!
It does not make sense!
It ain’t gonna happen under Mahama of Bole!
So it goes, Ghana!
SOURCES/NOTES
1. Priscilla S. Djentuh. Feature: RTI Bill is needed to curb corruption in the country
SUBJ: It Ain’t Gonna Happen Under Mahama of Bole!, by Prof Lungu
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