By Tenson Zobo
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) has hit back at the government over its recent remarks and accusation that Access to Information Bill has irregularities and needs alignment hence government delays for President Peter Mutharika not to assent the suspended, rejected information bill into law.
The revelations were made at press briefing during the launch of the State of Right to Information in Africa 2015 Report in a bid to raise awareness and commemorate International Human Rights Day titled: “Our Rights Our Freedom. Always.”
In a highly- charged three-page statement paper addressed to media, CHRR said it had leant with “great shock and disappointment”, the refusal and removal of Civil Society to make an already plan Speech at the Masitha Ground Lilongwe organized by Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC). “the Civil Society mouthpiece’s comments and advise is been denied even at commemoration of Human Rights Day where some government officials command a removal of CSOs representative on the program so as to limit access to matters of national interest as the one in question”,
Executive Director Timothy Mtambo for CHRR, further said the commemoration is a celebration of the birth of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly in December, 1948.
“This year’s Day is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign for the 50th anniversary of the two international covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which are the birth right of all human beings, however, government seems to continue to limit and hinder right to information by providing unnecessary delay”, lamented Mtambo
Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU) secretory general Robert Mkwezalamba during press briefing reveals that according to the 2015 Report on the State of Right to information (RTI) in Africa, enactment of Access to information could prove to be a tool to improve governance through, among others, fighting corruption.
“Apart from rendering the process of government more open and making those in power more accountable to the people, the access to information law can be a critical in combating corruption”, reveals Nkwezalamba
“Currently, Malawi is said to be losing billions of dollars each year through corruption, payment to ghost workers in government ministries, rentals for ghost houses and funding ghost projects” he adds
In the same development in his sentiments Benedicto Kondowe highlights that the delays in enacting the bill can only be deemed as government’s attempt to interfere and trump upon the rights and freedoms contained in the ICCPR and ICESR.
“We do not only find this unfortunate but also disrespectful of the failure to table the ATI Bill in Malawi. Where RTI is effectively promoted and where information is readily available and accessible to the public and in the hands of citizen, they are in position to expose practices and demand proper accountability from pubic officers”, said Kondowe
Kondowe bemoans Public Secrence Act which provides government to have an automatic holding of the information and the Public Service Act. Governments use these two instruments in a nutshell to facilitate problems for CSOs, Media, General Public and Human Rights activities unable access information.
“Thus why we see an International Human Rights Day without CSOs, this is a betrayal and strange to the public in as far as county’s development and access to information bill are concerned”,
