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Zambian gov't urged to speed up process to enact access to information law

Xinhua, October 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

A coalition of civil society organizations pushing for the enactment of an access to information law on Wednesday urged the Zambian government to speed up the process of enacting the law.

The Civil Society Coalition on Access to Information Law said the minister of information should prioritize the enactment of the law and should not hide behind the failed referendum.

"Any attempt to tie the Access to Information bill to the last failed referendum on the Bill of Rights should not be tolerated by any well-meaning Zambian. Assertions that the Access to Information bill cannot be presented before the National Assembly simply because its provision in the Bill of Rights was rejected by the people during the last failed referendum are not only disheartening but also retrogressive," the coalition said in a statement.

The coalition noted that having the law will enhance citizens' participation in governance and development as well as address transparency and accountability challenges in the country.

It added that the country has spent colossal sums of money so far in the preparation for the access to information bill, adding that it would unfair for the process to fail when it has reached an advanced stage.

"The coalition is of the resolve that the Access to Information bill must be tabled as a matter of urgency in the current sitting of parliament, and prior to this it must be published in the government gazette as per the requirement of the law," it added.

Last week, Information Minister Chishimba Kambwili refused to commit himself on whether the access to information law will be enacted.

The minister however said it was unfortunate that a referendum that was meant to enhance people's rights failed, adding that the referendum would have taken on board many issues such as the access to information law.

Stakeholders, especially the media, have been pushing for the enactment of an access to information law since 2002 when the process started but to no avail.

The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) had pledged to enact the law if it won the 2011 elections when it was in the opposition, but this has stalled on more than five occasions since then, according to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chapter. Endit