Govt refuses to be moved on FOI bill

Govt refuses to be moved on FOI bill
By Sydney Mungala and Angela Ntentabunga
Sunday March 30, 2008 [04:00]

INFORMATION minister Mike Mulongoti has said it would be wrong for the Speaker of the National Assembly to order him to take the Freedom of Information Bill to Parliament. During the Barclays Cup media awards ceremony at Cresta Golfview Hotel, Mulongoti said it was wrong for media houses to petition the Speaker to order him to take the Freedom of Information Bill to Parliament because he belonged to an independent wing of government.

"It would be wrong for Mr Speaker to order me, a member of the Executive to bring the Freedom of Information Bill to Parliament because he has no such powers," he said.
Mulongoti said it was very sad that the media did not follow the right channel by petitioning the Speaker and that they should have understood the separation of powers according to what prevailed in the country.

"I was very ashamed that even the public media were part of those who reported on this matter. We don't want personal preferences. People should make decisions from an informed point of view," he said.

He said the media should have exhausted dialogue with the government before petitioning the Speaker.

Mulongoti said he had written a letter of complaint to the Speaker over the matter.
Early this month, six media bodies indicated that they would petition Speaker Amusaa Mwanamwambwa to order Mulongoti to take the Freedom of Information Bill to Parliament for enactment.

Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) vice-president Amos Chanda on behalf of the others also asked members of parliament to reject the Freedom of Information Bill if it was taken back to Parliament without being made public.

Chanda urged parliamentarians, individually or as groups, to support the cause for an open FOI. He also urged them to amend, repeal and enact other pieces of legislation that hindered media freedom.

And Mulongoti noted that the media played an important role in the development of the nation, which he said was being taken for granted.

"The important role that the media plays in our everyday lives is taken for granted as if it is a birthright to have news," he said.
Mulongoti urged the public to understand the challenges faced by the media and journalists in news gathering.