The National Media Commission (NMC) has appealed to Parliament to review the deadline for the submission of memoranda on the Right of Information Bill.
It said the March 2, 2010 deadline was not feasible because the bill was currently not available to the public, at the Assembly Press.
A statement signed by the Chairman of the Commission, Mr Kabral
Blay-Amihere, said, �In the circumstance, it is with respect, not possible for citizens and their organisations to submit any memoranda on a bill the content of which they have not seen much less studied.�
It said while it was understandable that Parliament should be anxious to pass into law the Right to Information without undue delay, 17 years after the Constitution, which guarantees this right, came into effect, adding that Ghanaians were of the view that there should be full public debates and nationwide consultation on the Bill before it was passed into law.
�This will ensure that whatever enactment eventually comes into force enjoys the support, ownership and understanding of the people whom the law seeks to empower,� the statement added.
It said the Right to Information was founded on the sovereignty of the people and their right to know what government and public bodies were doing in their name and on their behalf and that, this way transparency in public affairs and accountability of government to the people could be better secured.
It explained that a Right to Information law went to the very heart of the democratic system of governance and every opportunity should be provided to citizens to make informed input into the legislative process so that Ghanaians would have the right to information that upheld the citizen�s right to information and promoted openness, transparency and accountability in the affairs of the state.
�It is for this reason that the NMC wishes to appeal to Parliament to allow sufficient time for the public to obtain copies of the Bill, study the provisions therefore, before submitting memoranda or otherwise make contributions to the legislative process on the Bill,� it said.
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