The Editors Forum, Ghana (EFG) on Wednesday threw its weight behind the campaign for the speedy passage of the Right to Information Bill. EFG said it especially supported a call by participants at a workshop on the Bill in Koforidua last week urging the government to ensure its passage before the end of 2009.
A statement issued in Accra by Ms Ajoa Yeboah-Afari, EFG Chairperson, said the Forum held the view that a free flow of information was an essential component of democracy and was vital for good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
"We therefore urge the government to underpin Ghana's growing democratic credentials by ensuring the speedy passage of the Bill after its revision to include the many important suggestions by civil society groups and campaigners," the statement said.
It said the EFG supported the crucial suggestion that to make the law more effective, an independent body should be charged with its implementation. The Koforidua workshop was organised by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, an international non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with the Coalition on the Right to Information.
The Ghana News Agency reported that in a communiqu� issued at the end of the meeting, the participants reiterated the importance of a Right to Information Law for Ghana, especially in the efforts to check corruption and as a vital tool for the promotion of the national development agenda.
The EFG said as the Koforidua communiqu� noted: "Placing (it) with the Attorney General tends to undermine the potential efficacy of the law and contradicts international principles governing such laws."
The statement said it agreed with the suggestion that the scope of the law should be widened to cover not just government agencies but also private bodies whose activities border on the people's fundamental rights or those that used public resources to undertake public functions on behalf of the government. That would make the law more effective and enable it achieve its objectives.
"Furthermore, the EFG believes that since good records management is a necessity for a Right to Information Law, passage of the Bill is one sure way of propelling the country's institutions to manage their records more efficiently and thus enhance governance.
"Contrary to popular misconception, we believe that a Right to Information Law will not benefit only the media. The free flow of information will benefit the whole society, hence it is in the interest of all sections of the society to take an interest in this matter and add their voices to those of the campaigners."
The EFG said it was therefore echoing the view of the Koforidua communiqu� that the government should "table this bill before Parliament before the year ends" and pass a law that would be a model not only for Africa, but also the rest of the world.
The EFG is a group of editors, senior journalists and media educators and it is affiliated to the Ghana Journalists Association. Its founding in 2005 was sponsored by the UNDP, under its Peace and Governance programme.
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