Mozambique: Parliament promise to pass Freedom of Information Bill

The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, has promised to pass freedom of information legislation in 2010 that will grant citizens access to information held by public bodies.

 

In a meeting with MISA-Mozambique officials on 28 February 2010, Alfredo Gamito, Chairperson of the Assembly’s Commission on Public Administration, Local Power and the Mass Media, assured that one of his commission’s top priorities will be to hold consultations with the various players in the media domain around the right of citizens to information.

 

This right is enshrined in the Mozambican Constitution, but has not been respected to date because there has been no legislation to support this constitutional provision.

 

After years of discussion, MISA-Mozambique formally deposited a draft bill on freedom of information with the Assembly’s Legal Affairs Commission in November 2005. But nothing happened – no attempts were made, either by the majority Frelimo Party or by the opposition party, Renamo, to debate the matter in the Assembly plenary. The MISA-Mozambique draft was not simply an initiative of journalists. There had been a vigorous debate, and other civil society bodies, such as the Mozambican Debt Group and the Human Rights League, also backed the call for freedom of information.

 

With the new parliament emerging from the 28 October 2009 general elections, some of the working commissions have changed their names and their scope. This is the first time that a parliamentary commission will deal with media affairs, and MISA-Mozambique regarded this as a positive development.

 

Meanwhile, African Regional Conference on Access to Information, sponsored by the Carter Centre, will take place in the Ghanaian capital of Accra on 7-9 February 2010. The conference will be attended by members of governments, media professionals, and representatives of civil society bodies and donor agencies to discuss the problems that still persist to block access to information in Africa. 

 

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Reagan Malumo

Programme Officer: Media Freedom Monitoring and Research

Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional Secretariat

21 Johann Albrecht St

Private Bag 13386

Windhoek

Namibia

Phone: +264 61 232 975

Fax: +264 61 248 016

Mobile: +264 81 311 2626

Official Email: reagan@misa.org

Private Email: reagan32002@yahoo.com

 

 

 

- Feburary 4, 2010 by Reagan Malumo

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Source: www.misa.org (received via email alert on 04.02.10)