Right to Information Day marked in Cape Coast

Mr. Ebo Barton Odro, Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast, on Friday called on media personnel to join in the crusade for peaceful election in December and advised them to guard against inciting violence on the air waves.

He accused some media houses of ‘fanning fire’ by allowing some politicians to go overboard, particularly on air and sometimes in the print media, a situation he noted could raise the political temperature of the country.

Mr. Odro made the call when he addressed about 80 members of the Central Regional branch of the “Right to Information Coalition” to mark this year’s Right to Information (RTI) Day, urging politicians to be tolerant and listen to constructive criticism.

The group went on a route march through the principal streets of Cape Coast, holding placards with writings such as, “Where is the RTI Bill?,” "Politicians, don’t take Ghanaians for granted,” "Right to Information is not a threat to national security,” “RTI Law is as urgent as the creation of 45 constituencies,” and “Information denied, threatens our democracy”.

Mr. Odro urged the Coalition to be patient because Parliament was working assiduously towards getting the RTI Bill passed and assured them that all their concerns would be addressed as soon as possible.

He tasked government and other institutions to ensure proper record keeping in their archives since many of them lacked it and this could hinder people from getting the needed information.

He said when the bill becomes law, people who would be denied information could go to court for judicial review to determine whether the information should be given out or not.

The MP took the opportunity to advise the youth not to allow themselves to be swayed into violent acts since they had a lot of talents and wisdom which should rather be developed positively to enable them to grow into great future leaders.

Mrs Baaba Brew Fleischer, Central Regional Coordinator of the Coalition, said they were using the occasion to create public awareness about the RTI Bill for the public to appreciate what it entailed.

She appealed to Parliament to expedite its passage as soon as possible.