Posts Tagged ‘rti legislation’
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23 March 2011
South African Committee Resumes on Secrecy Bill
After a two-month procedural delay, the South African parliament has cleared the way for a committee to resume work on the contested Protection of Information Bill. The parliament set a deadline of June 24 for the ad hoc committee to complete its work. In January, opposition party members balked at continuing deliberations without standard procedures […]
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19 March 2011
Spanish Minister to Decide on Proposing Transparency Law
Spain’s Ministry of the Presidency on March 17 promised civil society organizations of Spain’s Coalicion Pro Acceso to say, within one month, whether the Spanish government will propose freedom of information legislation. Minister Ramón Jáuregui told the coalition that the law has not been definitively shelved, despite the press of other business, and that he […]
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16 March 2011
Nigerian Senate Passes Modified FOI Legislation
The Nigerian Senate March 16 passed a freedom of information bill considered weaker than the House bill and a “harmonization conference committee” has been appointed to resolve the differences. During debate March 15, the Senate amended the bill to eliminate a provision that would have required requesters to demonstrate “the need” for disclosure of the […]
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14 March 2011
Indian RTI Conference Adopts 12-Point Shillong Declaration
Indian right to know activists March 13 passed a 12-point resolution urging that the law’s jurisdiction be expanded to cover Public-Private Partnership (PPP) entities, political parties, trade unions, and nongovernmental organizations. The “Shillong Declaration” was approved at the conclusion of a three day national RTI conference in Shillong, attended by about 1,000 persons. The declarations […]
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11 March 2011
El Salvador Joins the List of FOI Countries
By Natalia Torres Senior Researcher, CELE The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador March 3 gave definitive approval to the Law on Access to Public Information. The law, which was first passed in December of last year, received a series of observations from the president of the country. Congress had to either reject or incorporate them […]
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11 March 2011
Article 19 Criticizes Draft Bolivian FOI Bill
Draft Bolivian freedom of information legislation should be adopted, but needs improvement according to the London-based freedom of expression group Article 19. The group praised the draft bill’s broad application, including to private bodies performing public services, and a provision “to promote public transparency in public management.” Allowing the use of e-mail for requests and […]
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10 March 2011
Statewatch Criticizes EC Position on Access
The European Commission’s recent indication that in March it will propose a limited amendment to the European Union’s regulation on public access to EU documents has drawn sharp criticism from a leading watchdog group. The Commission’s latest Work Programme for 2011 (Ref. No. 2011/SG/006, Page 33) includes the additional goal of: “Incorporate in regulation 1049/2002 […]
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10 March 2011
Utah Restricts Access to Records Despite Protests
Utah Governor Gary Herbert Match 8 signed controversial legislation that critics say will restrict access to government records. Instead of vetoing the bill, as opponents urged, Herbert signed a version of the bill that was altered slightly, to delay its effective date until July 1. This gap is intended to allow time for the potential […]
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7 March 2011
Sierra Leone Minister Says FOI Bill to Pass This Week
The Sierra Leone Minister of information and Communication, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, said March 4 that the freedom of information bill will become law this week, according to a media report. The vote did not occur, however. A quorum could not be mustered because opposition parliamentarians out of town to campaign for re-election, a key activist […]
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7 March 2011
Critics Ask Guyana Officials to Fulfill FOI Promise
Unfulfilled government promises to offer an access to information bill is frustrating supporters of more transparency in Guyana, according to articles in Kaieteur News. The Alliance for Change was organizing picketing on March 3 because of the delay, according to one report. Government officials, including Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo, have said that the bill […]
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4 March 2011
Nigerian Senate President Says FOI Bill Needs Change
The president of the Nigerian Senate March 3 said that a freedom of information bill will pass before next month’s elections, but suggested that changes are necessary. While saying that half a bill would be better than no bill, he offered no specifics, according to news reports, but stressed a need for the media to be responsible […]
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1 March 2011
One Jonathan Adviser Undercuts Another on FOI Bill
The Special Adviser to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Media, Imma Niboro, has distanced the president from remarks by another presidential advisor that were sharply critical of the pending freedom of information bill. Nibora told reporters March 1 that Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Mohammed Abba-Aji, was speaking only for himself when he strongly […]
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1 March 2011
Adviser to Nigerian President Opposes FOI Legislation
Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on National Assembly Matters, former senator Mohammed Abba Aji, vowed Feb. 28 to scuttle freedom of information legislation. The leader of a key Senate committee, however, told The Vanguard newspaper that the bill will pass. FOI legislation recently passed in the House (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) Chairman of the […]
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1 March 2011
Aquino Study of FOI Bill Decried by Supporters
The Aquino administration has created an inter-agency team to draft its own freedom of information bill, a move that the pro-FOI coalition said “could simply throw a monkey wrench” into the process. At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the administration is seeking to balance privacy and the right to information, according to […]
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25 February 2011
Rwanda Cabinet Considering Revised Access Legislation
A revised draft Access to Information Bill is now pending before the Rwandan Cabinet, whose approval is necessary prior to Parliament’s action. The new draft legislation recently won praise from the London-based freedom of expression group Article 19. “The bill sets out progressive standards on access to information including a strong public interest test, short […]
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25 February 2011
Nigerian House Passes FOI Bill Without Opposition
The Nigerian House of Representatives Feb. 24 passed a freedom of information bill without opposition. Senate action is still required. The action by the House, however, was a major step forward after the bill seemed to have stalled in 2010. FOI legislation has been pending in Nigeria for 11 years and had not been debated […]
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24 February 2011
Political Infighting Endangers Japan Open Government Bill
By Lawrence Repeta Professor, Meiji University; Board Member, Information Clearinghouse Japan When the Democratic Party of Japan won a landslide victory in 2009 parliamentary elections, the prospects for a progressive open government law in Japan were bright. Now the DPJ government is poised to present a historic bill to the Diet that would reduce onerous […]
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18 February 2011
Nigerian House Speaker Promises Action on FOI Bill
The Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has said the House will get committee reports soon on Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, according to media reports such as one by Shola Adekola in The Nigerian Tribune. The House is awaiting a report on the bill from two committees. Bankole said he expects […]
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18 February 2011
Philippines House Leader Suggests Action on FOI Bill
A top leader of the Philippine House of Representatives said this week that an effort will be made to bring a bill up Feb. 22. The statement by Deputy Speaker and Quezon Representative Lorenzo Tañada III comes despite the decision so far by the new Aquino administration not to make the FOI bill a legislative […]
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18 February 2011
Tensions Arise Over Protests Against ANC Secrecy Bill
Masks, a silent protest, a walk-out and rancorous counter-charges marked the week’s activity in South Africa surrounding the controversial Protection of Information Bill. The week ended with criticism of the bill from U2 lead singer Bono. Opposition party committee members charged that the ad hoc committee considering the bill lacked the technical approval to continue […]