Freedom of Information bill to be tabled in two weeks - Dr Luncheon

Freedom of Information bill to be tabled in two weeks – Dr Luncheon

Jun 02, 2011 News

After years of delay and the failure of the government to meet several earlier commitments, the government yesterday indicated that it would table the Freedom of Information Bill in the National Assembly within two weeks.
The announcement came from Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon at his weekly post-Cabinet news conference. Luncheon himself had given earlier Government commitments which were never fulfilled.
The matter of Freedom of Information legislations has been the subject of prolonged discussions, with the government failing to meet repeated commitments to table the legislation.
This includes failed commitment by President Bharrat Jagdeo himself, who holds the ministerial portfolio for the information sector.
In April 2009, while in Trinidad for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the president promised Freedom of Information and Broadcast legislations within two months. After that, he gave further commitments that were never fulfilled. But yesterday, Dr Luncheon was ready to make a solid commitment.
Speaking about the legislation that is being cleaned up for tabling in the House, Luncheon said that under the law access to information becomes “guaranteed.”
The first part of the legislation would define how persons would be able to access information from public agencies. But Luncheon indicated that Freedom of Information legislation does not mean total free access.
He said that information would be provided based on “what is available”
He said the second part of the bill tells you that what is available is not necessarily what you will get.
According to Luncheon, there are conventions about what information would be available and what would not be. This part of the legislation would also deal with how persons can apply to gain access to information and the rights and responsibilities of persons who receive the information.
He said the legislation also sets out the obligation of the public agencies not to destroy, hide or make “disappear” documents that are requested.
On the other side, in case of those who wish to publish the information, Dr Luncheon said that they would be vested with the obligation to do so accurately and in its entirety.
President Jagdeo in his Independence Day message said that it is the right of the media to express their views within the law and he said the media should be the scourge of the corrupt, the lazy and those who break the law.
He added that the media should avoid the easy line of lies and distortions that damage those who are creating a better Guyana.
However, President Jagdeo has been a fierce critic of media houses that expose questionable and corrupt practices, referring to these media houses as the “new opposition.”

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