The Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection (JCTR) says it is concerned with the secrecy surrounding the Access to Information Bill (ATI) which the Minister of Information recently confirmed that it was approved by cabinet and will soon go to parliament for debate.
It was stated that the proposed amendment and concerns in the bill will be considered before the bill can be validated and sent to cabinet which has not happened up to now, said Access to Information Coalition Chairperson Fr. Alex Mayebe during a media briefing on April 5.
“Firstly, we the stakeholders have not seen the content of the bill that will be presented to parliament and this is worrisome. We are concerned that the validation process was skipped hence we are not preview to the final bill that will be presented to parliament,” he said.
Fr. Mayeba has demanded that the bill and its contest be availed to stakeholders and the general public for their input considering that access to information held by these public institutions is essential to the function of democracy, effective citizen participation in decision-making processes and holding duty bears accountable.
“We would like to see the process of enacting the ATI as transparent as possible considering its importance to the government of our country. Our fair is that the stakeholders input may have not been included in the final bill hence the concealment. We would like to see the stakeholders be part of the process of enacting the bill by making the content of the bill public,” he said. Fr. Mayebe stated that the ATI coalition have since written to the minister of information and broadcasting services Dora Siliya to seek an audience with her regarding this matter.
