Positive signs continue in Zambia for freedom of information with a top governmental official promising an open process to develop the bill, a pledge of support from the World Bank and a Catholic bishop urging its enactment.
Information, Broadcasting and Tourism Minister Given Lubinda said Nov. 22 that the Patriotic Front government intends to constitute a committee of stakeholders including public officials, experts and civil society representatives to help create the legislation, according to a report in The Times of Zambia.
The paper also reported: “The minister who said his ministry would consult widely on the enactment of the Bill said the consultation process would not be used to delay the process but appealed to Zambians to give them a bit of time to study the matter from where it was left from by the previous government.”
“The current reality is that as Zambians we still have a culture of secrecy around our public bodies. This culture of secrecy must change and it must change because it is essential for Zambia’s democracy and development” said Lubinda, according to the article.
World Bank country director Kundhavi Kadiresan, speaking at a recent Bank-organized conference on FOI, praised the government’s commitment to enacting a bill and promised Bank help, according to a report in UKZambians.
Also, Cardinal Merdado Mazombwe has urged the government to enact a FOI bill as quickly as possible, The Post reported. The Civil Society Task Force for on FOI Bill, led by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, is planning some events before Christmas to encourage passage.
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