Saying the government needs to make a decision, AFC leader Raphael Trotman intends to advance the long delayed Freedom of Infor-mation Bill through the National Assembly.
“Either the government wants it or it doesn’t,” Trotman told Stabroek News. “It has been in abeyance for almost two years, in the hope that government would accept the need for the legislation.”
There has been “no serious engagement” with the AFC to reach consensus on the legislation, Trotman said, noting with exasperation that government spokesman continues to say it was being examined. The main opposition PNCR has already given its support for the bill. “I intend very soon to bring it to a head and have the government say to the people of Guyana whether they want freedom of information legislation,” Trotman added.
The successful passage of the Freedom of Information Bill, a private members’ bill, hinges entirely on support of the government, which holds a majority in the National Assembly. There has been no substantive movement since the introduction of the bill in November 2006.
In May, government declared that the legislation would ultimately be enacted but it did not give a clear timeline. Head of the Presi-dential Secretariat (HPS) Dr Roger Luncheon said freedom of information legislation would be enacted, though he added it would be only one aspect of access to information.
His comments were in response to a recommendation made at a Common-wealth Parliamentary Asso-ciation (CPA) workshop that the government should enact freedom of information legislation within a clear timeframe and make efforts to implement it fully.
Another recommendation emanating from the workshop is for the National Assembly to facilitate the broadcast of its proceedings; and that the initiative by the Guyana Parliament to establish a communications and public education unit should be supported. In this regard, it was suggested that the dedicated parliament channel of Trinidad and Tobago, with its live television and radio broadcasts, packaged edited versions, as well as internet transmission of the deliberations of parliament should be studied.
PNCR-1G MP Aubrey Norton has tabled a motion calling for live and unedited broadcasts of the sittings of the National Assembly. It seeks to have the sittings of the National Assembly broadcast live and unedited by the National Communications Network with costs borne by the state. The motion also seeks to have the Assembly call on the government to allocate a broadcast frequency for a parliamentary channel as happens in “most democratic countries.” Additionally, the motion proposes a timeframe for implementation within one month of its adoption by the Assembly.
