By ALICE NACHILEMBE
United Party for National Development, UPND has made an appeal to government Spokesperson Dora Siliya to publish the contents of the bill so that people are able to scrutinize them.
UPND Spokesperson Charles Kakoma said this is not the first time the Patriotic Front government has issued statements to excite the people of Zambia on the Freedom of Information Bill.
Mr Kakoma said Justice Minister Given Lubinda in February 2017 assured stakeholders that his ministry had engaged other line ministries so that the contents of the bill is made available.
He said up to date the draft bill has not been made available and now being told that it has been approved, contrary to what Mr Lubinda had promised the people of Zambia.
“The same bill was presented to Parliament in the year 2002, more than sixteen years ago through a private members motion. Government tricked the MPs who presented the Bill to withdraw it so that it is tabled by a Cabinet Minister and to allow for more consultations.
It has taken 17 years to consult. We are aware that one of the countries that Zambia has consulted over the Freedom of Information Bill is Zimbabwe, where the Freedom of Information Act is used as a tool for suppressing freedom of expression and media freedom instead of enhancing people’s access to information held by public institutions” he said.
Mr Kakoma said last night, ZNBC quoted Information Permanent Secretary Kasolo as saying that the approved Freedom of Information Bill will indicate what type of information that the public can access.
He said the original objective of the information law was to enhance transparency and accountability in order to empower people to make informed decisions.
Mr Kakoma said the bill is supposed to help the country in the fight against corruption, mismanagement of public resources and mal-administration.
He said UPND was suspicious because this approval comes at a time when there is heightened clampdown on media freedoms as well as shrinking media space in the country.
Mr Kakoma said it was deceptive and self-contradictory on the part of the PF to hasten to enact the Access to Information Bill with the intent of gaining political mileage on one hand, and on the other hand shutting down media houses on the false pretext of unprofessional, unethical and biased media coverage.
He said government is trying to shift attention from the condemnation it has received from local and international stakeholders over the closure of Prime TV for showing scenes on the attempted assassination of the UPND President Hakainde Hichilema in the Sesheke parliamentary by election.
“We demand that the government publishes the contents of the Freedom of Information Bill immediately before being tabled in Parliament” he said.
