The MP for Sissala East, Mohammed Issah Bataglia, has defended the controversial draft cybersecurity amendment bill, insisting that while freedom of expression must be guaranteed, Ghana cannot allow a climate where fear of government outweighs responsibility on social media—a trend he warns threatens both the ruling party and the opposition.

Speaking on the JoyNews AM show, Mr Bataglia said the draft bill is still at its initial stage and will undergo extensive debate before becoming law.

“This is basically a draft bill that will go through a lot of debate and other things, so I’m happy that people are pointing this out. But there is one thing we are all afraid of as people in this country—that yes, as much as we want to give people freedom, it is also important we make sure that we at least create some kind of responsibility in people. And that is the fact,” he said.

He warned that when citizens fear the government more than they respect rules, it creates a challenging environment.

“NDC, no matter how long they stay in power, will not be in power forever. Somebody should take steps to be able to sensitise the system so that one day, in the very unforeseeable future, if they come into power, they will also be comfortable running this country without any fear because the social media and whatever is happening now is taking us to a stage that at least all of us are not comfortable with. It’s not just the ones in government now, but even those in opposition,” Mr Bataglia said.

The lawmaker also emphasised the importance of basing statements on facts.

“People say things sometimes not based on fact. If you say something based on fact and conclude, I don’t think you have a problem. So I think that as much as it’s something that we are going to look at, it will be laid before Parliament. Debate will be done, and all aspects that we think are not in sync with our aspirations, I think there is no problem taking that out and tweaking it to fit our aspirations. I’m sure that will be fine.”

The Cybersecurity Amendment Bill 2025 has generated widespread debate, particularly on social media under the hashtag #ScrapCSABill2025, with critics warning that it could hand excessive power to the state to monitor or restrict online activity.

Supporters, however, argue that the bill is intended to strengthen Ghana’s digital security framework and help curb cybercrime, misinformation, and online fraud.