Posts Tagged ‘rti legislation’
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12 November 2010
Work on South African POIB May Not Conclude This Year
The chairman of the ad hoc committee in the South African parliament working on the controversial Protection of Information Bill has said Parliament will not likely pass the measure this year, according to media accounts. The committee held meetings during the week of Nov. 8 to consider amendments. One report quoted the committee chairman Cecil […]
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11 November 2010
Sierra Leone Moves Toward Adopting FOIA Legislation
Sierra Leone took a major toward adopting a freedom of information law Nov. 11 when Parliament gave the government-proposed bill a first reading and referred it to a committee. “After seven years of laborious work in lobbying, education of Parliamentarians and sensitization of the general public by SDI and its coalition partners, this is a […]
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9 November 2010
Summary on the Progress of South Africa’s Protection of Information Bill
By Mukelani Dimba Dimba is the Deputy Executive Director of the Open Democracy Advice Centre Introduction When the South African government introduced the Protection of Information Bill of 2010 [B 6-2010] to parliament in March 2010 no one would have predicted that such action would trigger mass-based civil society action that some say has not […]
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5 November 2010
Philippine Legislator Urges Aquino Action on FOI Bill
Senate Minority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano Nov. 5 called on the new Aquino administration to act on the freedom of information bill. “I’m a bit disappointed with the way the Palace is treating the FOI bill,” Cayetano said during a press conference, according to GMANews.TV reporter Kimberly Jane T. Tam. Last month, Cayetano urged […]
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5 November 2010
Guyana Government Says FOI Bill to Be Offered Soon
Freedom of information legislation could be offered in the Guyana parliament this year, according to chief government spokesman, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon, as quoted in The Stabroek News. Briefing the media Nov. 3 at his weekly post-Cabinet news conference he said it would be tabled long before the current parliamentary session ends in August. […]
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5 November 2010
Request Problems in Pakistan Documented in Article
Several examples of the difficulties of accessing information in Pakistan were discussed in a recent article by Zahid Abdullah, who works for Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives. The Pakistan law, he said, is “a very weak law in the shape of Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 and whatever effectiveness it had was watered down […]
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5 November 2010
Ukraine Postpones Action on New Access Legislation
The Ukrainian parliament has delayed action on a new Access to Public Information Law. The bill was not brought up as planned on Nov. 2, but may be taken up in the near future. Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Chairman Adam Martyniuk sought the postponement, saying MP Andrii Shevchenko, the head of the parliamentary committee for […]
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29 October 2010
South African Committee Begins Work on POIB
The committee considering the controversial Protection of Information Bill in South Africa delayed the start of its detailed consideration of the bill over a procedural matter as thousands marched in opposition to the bill. Parliamentary action on the bill is expected to resume Nov. 1. The “snag” was described in an Oct. 29 by Thabo […]
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26 October 2010
Morocco Aims to Write Access to Information Law
The Moroccan government has included pro-transparency commitments in its new two-year plan to combat corruption. A pledge to develop a law on access to information is listed as measure number nine among 43 items. Other proposals include asset declaration by top officials, whistle-blower protection, anti-graft classes in schools, and channels for the public to report […]
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22 October 2010
South African Minister Defends Information Bill
South Africa’s minister of state security Oct. 22 defended a controversial Protection of Information Bill, urging a parliamentary committee not to include a public interest defense to shelter whistle-blowers who violate state secrecy. The testimony by Siyabonga Cwele came during his second appearance before the ad hoc committee considering the government-backed bill which among other […]
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22 October 2010
Penang Officials Promise to Introduce FOI Legislation
The government of the Malaysian state of Penang has pledged to propose freedom of information legislation, according to media accounts such as one by Himanshu Bhatt in The Sunday Daily. This move follows an effort this summer to pass FOI legislation in Selangor. Activists also are seeking to promote national legislation The article said: Chief […]
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18 October 2010
South African Official Softens Stance on Media Regulation
Improved self-regulation by the South African press might mitigate the need for state media controls, a key government official said Oct. 16. It was not clear whether the apparent softening of position on the proposed Media Appeals Tribunal would extend to the controversial Protection of Information Bill, but there were hints of potential discussions on the […]
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15 October 2010
Sierra Leone Minister Positive on Prospects for FOI Law
Sierra Leone’s information minister has given assurances that a freedom of information law will be enacted soon, according to remarks made to journalist Pa John Baimba Sesay published Oct. 13 in Sierra Express Media. In his story is an account of his recent discussion with Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, information minister for this new government […]
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14 October 2010
Botswana MP Saleshando to Introduce FOI Legislation
Botswana Congress Party President Dumelang Saleshando said Oct. 13 that his party will submit a private members’ bill on freedom of information when parliament opens next month, according to a media report. The FOI measure will be one of two bills to be pushed by the minority party, the other being one on HIV/AIDS and […]
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14 October 2010
A First: UK Cabinet Meeting Minutes Disclosed
The minutes of a 1986 British Cabinet meeting have been released under the Freedom of Information Act, the first time this has occurred. The minutes concerned a stormy session in which Defense Secretary Michael Heseltine suddenly resigned during a discussion over the possible financial rescue of the struggling Westland helicopter company. He was protesting then […]
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14 October 2010
POIB Protestors March in Cape Town; Hearing Set
Opponents to the South African government’s proposed Protection of Information Bill (POIB) law staged a march against it Oct. 12, one of numerous protest events held in advance of a further hearing in parliament on the controversial bill. The rally at the Parliament building in Cape Town was organized by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), […]
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8 October 2010
Brazilian Press Skimps on FOI Coverage, Study Says
The press “has paid little attention to what is widely believed to be the most important measure in promoting governmental transparency,” a proposed freedom of information law, according to a study by Greg Michener in an article on the blog run by the Knight Center, a U.S. organization supporting journalists. “The relatively weak news media […]
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1 October 2010
Argentine Senate Passes Access to Information Bill
The Argentine Senate Sept. 29 passed an access to information law bill. The vote was 38 to 26. La Nacion described the debate (in Spanish). The House must now act. A House committee has been considering another version of the bill, but activists said the House is now expectd to vote on the Senate bill. […]
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23 September 2010
Ukraine Parliament Delays Access to Information Law
The Ukrainian parliament has delayed consideration of a proposed law on access to public information, and the bill faces significant obstacles, according to informed observers. Action was postponed in July despite expressions of support for a new law by the president and the speaker of the parliament, they told FreedomInfo.org. After the adoption of an […]
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22 September 2010
Group Launches Consultation on Leaked Spanish FOI Bill
Access Info Europe Sept. 22 revealed a leaked copy of a draft Spanish access to information law and opened a public consultation on the nonpublic draft, which Access Info says “falls below prevailing European standards.” The group has posted a copy of the leaked document on its website. The government has not officially released its proposal, […]