The first draft of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Bill will be launched tomorrow for public scrutiny and comments, Parliament heard yesterday.
Information, Broadcasting and Labour Deputy Minister, Mwansa Kapeya told Parliament, which resumed sitting yesterday, that the task force will launch the first draft document at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka.
Mr Kapeya said the Government was committed to ensuring that the legislation was enacted.
“My Government is committed to ensuring that the FoI is enacted. I am happy to inform this House that a technical committee has been constituted and has been urged to speed up the process.
“This committee will launch the first draft FoI on Thursday this week so that members of the public can scrutinise it,” he said.
Mr Kapeya was responding to Patriotic Front (PF) Kanchibiya Member of Parliament (MP), Davies Mwaango (PF) who wanted to know when the FoI Bill would be presented to Parliament.
In response, Mr Kapeya told the House that the Government would ensure the FoI document was presented to Parliament within the current sitting.
The task force comprises Government representatives from the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Labour and Ministry of Justice.
Others are representatives from civil society organisations, FoI coalition of the Jesuit Centreor Theological Reflection, Economics Association of Zambia, MISA-Zambia, and Transparency International Zambia.
Others are the Law Association of Zambia, independent legal experts, University of Zambia lecturer Kenny Makungu, media trainer Edem Djokotoe, and a World Bank technical team.
[Times of Zambia]
HH waikatako wapya mwaiche. HH u will never rule zambia try choma town as a councillor. u rise thru the ranks mwaiche.
This is not tribal sir/madam but for us Zambians. I want to know the limitations included
Way to go PF. Well done.
Marubbish
To #1: Tribalism is the same as racism. We cannot change people’s tribes just as we cannot change the races of people. Therefore, since racism or racist segregation is outlawed by the major international organisation, we in Zambia must lead the way by making sure that tribalism is outlawed, and becomes punishable under our laws.
Taking an exceptional stance against tribalism will ensure a stable and a safe future for Zambia. Our ancestors worked very hard, in fact they were more civilized when it came to matters of tribe, and our early politics garbed the opportunity and enshrined this civility into the “One Zambia One Nation” way of life. It is sad that it is the young and so-called educated well-travelled people who are now seeing tribalism in everything. We are stronger together!
Well done PF! you have my vote in 2016.
PF PF PF PF PF PF PF PF PF PF PF PF PF PF PF PF, These people will go through come 2016. Power to the people. Give people what they want. MMD has been sitting on this for years, let things move now. This is the change we voted for. HH has to wait till 2060.
The task force is commendable – highly representative. One can only hope the FoI will stand the test of time and improve access to info by all and sundry.
Awesome….its about high time….
can anyone please tell me if the FoI bill was actually launched?