Access to information finally bill tabled

Access to information finally bill tabled JEMIMA BEUKES
WINDHOEK

After years of deliberation and consultation the much-awaited Access to Information (ATI) Bill has finally been tabled in the National Assembly.
The bill was tabled by the information minister Peya Mushelenga this afternoon, who emphasised it will be the embodiment of Chapter 13 of the Namibian Constitution and other relevant regional and international legal instruments to which Namibia is a signatory.
“The ATI Bill generally aims to promote transparency, accountability and effective governance of all public and private bodies by establishing procedures to do so and also enables Namibians to request such information and records held by state institutions and private bodies as expeditiously and reasonably possible,” he said.
According to him the objective of this legislation is to educate and empower the Namibian public by allowing them to participate in decision-making and also for them to understand their right to access to information.
The bill makes provision for the presidential appointment, with parliamentary approval, of an information commissioner and deputy information commissioner.
jemima@namibiansun.com