Int’l press to pressure Govt. to enact Freedom of Information Act

Apr 21, 2013 News

The International Press Institute (IPI) will be pushing Government to enact Guyana’s Freedom of Information Act. If needs be, the international body will encourage trade partners to apply pressure to ensure that Government enacts the Law.
This is according to Alison Bethel McKenzie, Executive Director of IPI, during an Investigative Journalism workshop held at Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Office, Georgetown yesterday.
During the workshop the issue of limited access to information from Government Offices and commercial entities was highlighted by local journalists as one of the hindrances to investigative journalism.

Alison Bethel McKenzie, Executive Director of IPI (front centre) and members of the local media fraternity at yesterday’s workshop.

However, this situation was already known to the IPI. McKenzie said that IPI became aware of the challenge to obtain information in Guyana through a colleague here.
But, the organization is well aware that while Governments pass the Freedom of Information Acts it is not uncommon for them not to enact them. Governments sometimes pass the Freedom of Information Act as a façade but they do not follow through, McKenzie added.
She said that representatives of IPI spoke to Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Attorney General Anil Nandlall and other Members of Parliament about the need to actually enact the Freedom of Information Law, so persons could access information and allow transparency.
According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the Access to Information Bill was passed in the National Assembly on September 15, 2011.
“The Bill seeks to set out a practical regime of right to information for persons to secure access to information under the control of public authorities in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of the Government and public authorities and for the appointment of the Commissioner of Information,” the GINA bulletin stated.
According to McKenzie, IPI will be working with the Association of Caribbean Media Workers and the local journalists association to push Government to actually implement the Law. She is optimistic that the Law will be implemented but it will take some time.
“I think it is something that will be done. I think it might be slightly slow in happening but we think they had to hear it all to actually get the Freedom of Information Act. It takes more than actually having it. You have to do something so that it works. So we will push them on that,” the Executive Director said.
IPI is ready to apply pressure to ensure Government complies with its request. Citing an example of possible pressure the organization could use, she said access to information is part of human rights discussions and IPI could encourage countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom that trade with Guyana to pressure Government into enacting the Law.
She stressed that IPI has been successful using that approach in the past.
However, McKenzie is hopeful that this is something on Government’s radar and Guyana will enact the Law without force.
Other hindrances raised by the local media fraternity to investigative journalism were fear (particularly drug related articles), time and logistics noting Guyana’s rough hinterland terrain. The 90-minute workshop gave an overview of what investigative journalism entails.
Time the reporter has to invest in an investigative piece and resources of the media house are determining factors of the outcome of investigative journalism.
McKenzie said that investigative journalism takes time but in some cases like the Boston bombing daily investigations are presented to the world.
According to the Executive Director, the basic rules of investigative journalism are listening to people, looking at news value, keeping one’s eyes and ears open, getting the facts, fitting the facts together, checking the facts, evidence, confidential sources, threats and working with the law.
As an observation McKenzie said that a lot of stories in the local media do not have context. She said that background is needed to give readers a sense of how important the contents of the article are.