Former US president Jimmy Carter challenged African governments to speed up the legislation for access to information in their countries.
Mr. Carter regretted that even when all the other continents were claiming to have access to information laws in place, Africa had lagged far behind.He was speaking when he officially opened the African Regional Conference on the Right of Access informational in Ghana. Mr. Carter reminded the conference participants that access to information was a basic human right and a key factor in reducing corruption in government.
The former US president said access to information laws also increased the participation of women in decision making adding that he was amazed by reports that women in Liberia could not participate in politics and were being raped even with a woman president in office.
Mr. Carter who singled out South Africa as the only country that had passed the freedom of information law in Africa cited Zimbabwe as another country that had passed the same information Law which it had, however, twisted around to persecute people who released public information.
The African Regional conference on the right of access to information is the third major conference that the Carter center for Democracy Program has sponsored on freedom of information after the Atlanta Declaration in 2008 and the Lima declaration in Peru, South America in 2009.
Mr. Carter and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter have since left for Sudan to monitor the situation in that country before the presidential elections due in six weeks time.
Speaking yesterday when he chaired a high level panel discussion on transparency at the La palm Beach hotel in Accra during the on- going Right of Access to information conference organized by the Carter Center for Democracy program, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Lt. Gen. Ronnie Shikapwasha assured the Conferenc that the Zambian Government will table the freedom of Information Bill immediately parliament resumes sitting this month.
Lt. Gen Shikapwasha said the Zambian Government has already reached an advanced stage in pushing for the legislation of the Freedom of information Act and was currently wrapping up its study of other models as advised by the World bank and the United Nations Development Programme UNDP to see which model would best suit the Zambian environment .
Gen. Shikapwasha said the Zambian administration under President Rupiah Banda was in a rush to pass the Freedom Of Information Bill and other media bills ,but was taking its time consulting widely so that it could come up with an -all embracing legal framework that would enhance people’s equitable access to public information .
The minister who cited cost as another factor that had weakened the pace for legislation, explained to the conference that the access to information, or freedom of Information Bill should not be viewed from the prism of being an exclusively media bill alone, but one that would benefit every citizen who might need information .
[ZANIS]
shikapwasha is now jimmy carter???:o wat a handsome man mr shikapwasha is.i really like his lips. mmmmm yummmy
this story is KAK,reducing corruption is not easy coz its our culture to steal MWIBALA LYACHALO(ubuteko).Shikapwasha uleikalafye panshi ngatapali fyakulanda malyengelya.
Mr Jimmy Carter why Is America In So Many Wars? :)>-
We shall wait n’ see!
Good Afternoon
Please let’s take time to analyse the contents of the article and comment on the subject matter instead of firing personal and verbal shots of none effect . I can’t stand the American foreign policy either but in this particular lecture, I must fully agree with Mr. Carter. Knowledge comes from gaining information and this is what lays the foundation of a democratic nation, so people without information are ignorant and vulnerable to corruption and all forms of external injustice and oppression.
Shikapwasha speaks from both his opening! How do you say you will table the bill on one hand and then talk about cost and consultation on the other? Your people are quick to pay NCC and then start talking about cost on the FOB? You need this bill passed as your own insurance because if Sata becomes president, he will even be more ruthless against you and your buddies than any other Leader. The other thing you should remember is that all of you and the other leaders in Africa are viewed by the West as greedy, selfish, corrupt individuals who don’t care about their own people. That is why they keep giving you money even when our people have shown that you do not speak for them. Your behaviour makes white people feel good about themselves. Think about it if you can!!
Yah This general shikapwasha wabufi bad, if RB admin is interested in freedom of information bill why is it that government want to regulate media laws and a month ago We read that G.kunda has come up with draft media bill to regulate all media houses in the country? shikapwasha you are challeged on this one kwikalafye ziii ngata ukwete ifyakulanda in such big fora.
I hope Ministers Shikapwasha and George Kunda who is also Vice President will take a leaf from South Africa and re-educate themselves on Zimbabwe so that Self Regulation of the media thrives in Zambia while freedom of information laws are enacted.
Have a blessed day all.
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Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all thesse things shall be added unto you.
Thanks if the bill will help its locals and not to advantage the GRZ.It has to be clear to all the zedians :((
# meastro ifyamapepo panse,ngolichipuba ninshi,ulichipuba,inama yabaiche tainona,whether they get ideals from other people,it will never work corruption rules.G.kunda sucks as well ,we just need change pa-zed.the only party that can bring changes and development is PF.so 2011 bamayo nabata nipalyapene pa BWATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.EPONAPELA
he has been shobbered on radio ,… standrad 12 cert
Jimmy Carter is right. Zambia, especially under Chiluba, Kaunda and now Rupiah, has been very oppressive towards media personnel. Look at the plight of Fred and company at The Post and the silent souls in the public media, such as the two dailies (which should be privatized) and ZNBC, especially. Those brothers and sisters live and work in fear.
And you think there is freedom of information in US?No my friends there is freedom of misinformation and disinformation.
These people lied about 9/11 and weapons of mass destruction (WMD’s) in Iraq.All you get from these people is lies of mass destruction,falsely presented as matters of rule of law, democracy and good governance.
Chapwa you, Nine Chale, 1984 give great truths on politics and propaganda machinery. Let our brothers and sisters know too. Especially since you guys are christians, because the majority of christians and everyday folk are gullible. Great note on misinformation and disinformation. Educate one go reach the whole continent.
zambia caught napping..why haven’t u had one since 1964?ronnie why arte u lying about it?
Ba Chapwa try to read broadly and be informed about world politics. Everyone around the world who is politically literate knows very well that the Peanut farmer by the name of Jimmy Carter was a high profile campaigner against the Iraq war and all unprovoked wars of aggresion. He was called and is still being called a traitor by Republicans. Just the idea that Carter would in anyway endorse the rightwing republican Bush war policies is nauseating for us in the liberal world. Ba Chapwa you’ve your wires mixed mate! Try some KoolAid! And please learn to differentiate between ‘Freedom of Information’ and ‘propaganda or disinformation’. There is a big difference btn the 2.
The most important point to learn from the comments from the former US president of which I 100% agree with him is that the Act under discussion and its preceeding policies if approved will enable all of us Zambians to have access to information which we are denied. It is that information which we do not ve that make some of you comment wrongly on important issues. For example you are able to comment on this fora coz you have access to the internet. the ICT policy in Zambia is not yet approved do you know what that means? Think you Zambians and think positively because of lack of that policy the government can even decide to ban all this freedom we have to comment freely. I urge you friends to constructive and thoughtful, research before you comment on things you do not know.
Mbulawa my friend you know we need to have positive comments if Zambia is to develop some of these chaps they think commenting is just to say ill about articles in the news. The former US president is very right look at Zimbabwe, The act in Zimbabwe is okay but the president simply controls the show. Access to information is what makes informed decisions. When the Bible said you shall increase in knowledge it simply means that you have to have information to first to increase in knowledge thus sound judgment. so read more and make informed decisions. It has taken long to have the Zambia access to information bill to be passed truly that has nothing to do with what is happening in USA or Iraq. we simply need to pass the bill and start working according to the bill otherwise amend it.