By: Seraphine Nyuiemedi
The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has taken its public engagement to Ho, the Volta Regional capital to sensitize the public to the implementation and application of the Act.
The Executive Secretary of the Right to Information Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng who facilitated the forum said the engagement has become necessary to help the public to know their rights under the Act, and to be privy to its application as part of their constitutional rights.
The Right to Information (RTI) ACT 2019, Act 989 empowers all persons to have access to information from public institutions and relevant private bodies in order to promote transparency and accountability.
It gives the RTI Commission the mandate to promote, monitor, protect and enforce the right to information that is granted to a person under Article 21 (1) (f) of the constitution. The public lecture, which was under the theme: “Your Right to Access Information and the Role of the Commission” brought together lecturers and students of the Ho Technical University, as well as some members of the general public.
The Executive Secretary of the Right to Information Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng said majority of the public who applied for information in public Institutions and were denied access, did not seek for review because they are not aware that they have a right under the law to do so.
“I believe when persons have gone to apply for information in public Institutions and they have not been given access to information, majority of the people just go home and sleep anyway without even knowing that they have a right of review at the Right to Information Commission. So this kind of engagement helps people to understand that even if I’m refused information, what do I even do? So the exercise is quite important that we do it this way as often as possible for people to appreciate what the law is about”.
Mr. Boateng explained that applicants do not pay for generating information as speculated, but for the reproduction of the information.
“Citizens don’t pay for the information, what you pay for is the reproduction of the information. So, let’s make that distinction quite clear. If I apply for information and the institution has to give me the information in the form of a print, you must understand that it costs the agency some money to print a document for you and therefore, what you pay is the cost of the print, if it’s a photocopy, you pay the cost of a photocopy.
The fees and charges Act for 2022 has been passed by Parliament, and you will find out that what the Right to Information Commission has proposed for agencies to charge is very minimal”.