4 June 2008
Ndola — THE Government has said that the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill is vital in enhancing transparency and good governance but reiterated the need for journalists to be responsible in their reporting.
Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, Mike Mulongoti said that the FOI was vital to the public as it was the basis for transparency and ultimately enhanced democracy, openness and accountability in the governance system.
He said this in Lusaka yesterday when he officially opened a FOI workshop for media practitioners.
The Government had the opportunity to consult on the FOI from experts both locally and abroad and had learnt valuable lessons.
Mr Mulongoti said that more than 50 countries were working on enacting the comprehensive FOI.
With regard to the countries that had already enacted the FOI, he said that the process was not an easy one.
"FOI is a central component of the constitutional reform programme that the Government has embarked upon.
"The implementation has been beset by problems such as lack of leadership, inadequate support for those administering requests and also a failure to realise that FOI is not an event but a long process which demands commitment," Mr Mulongoti said.
The minister said that the workshop was intended to prepare the country for the enactment of the FOI.
Speaking earlier, United States Embassy public affairs officer, Christopher Wurst said that the essence of the workshop was to enable participants, and media practitioners in particular to have a broader understanding of the FOI.
Mr Wurst said it was important to understand how the piece of legislation was working in the United States and see how it would be best implemented for the Zambian society.
"The idea is for us to get some insights about how FOI laws have worked in the American context," Mr Wurst said.
And facilitator of the workshop, Kelvin Goldberg, said that it was important for the citizenry to understand how the FOI worked.
He said the FOI was not only meant for the journalists but the entire populace.
Mr Goldberg said the citizens would be free to ask for any kind of information from the Government.
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