City gag order stinks 0 Just the other day information and communication technology minister Tjekero Tweya made the right noises regarding the implementation of access to information policies. Speaking during the celebration of International Day for Universal Access to Information in Windhoek recently, the minister greatly emphasised the importance of having legislation for access to information in place, adding that access to basic information could improve livelihoods, especially when it comes to the downtrodden in our society. In recent days, the City of Windhoek has come under the spotlight once again after it took a decision that the practice of supplying the media with documents related to ongoing municipal matters would stop with immediate effect. City officials argued that the decision was based on an existing law that has not been implemented to date. Now instead of making documents available during deliberations on City matters, access will remain confidential until the council has taken a final decision on the matter. The City of Windhoek must be informed that gagging the press through a suppression order to stop media from reporting key details of its matters is not in the interest of transparency nor does it sustain any of our country’s efforts to reduce corruption. Allowing people to seek and receive public documents serves as a critical tool for fighting corruption. In fact the very same City officials have been implicated in corruption scandals over dubious land deals at the municipality that has so far failed to come up with clear land release strategy for its residents. Access to public information cannot be overemphasised. Public institutions, including the City of Windhoek, are there to serve the people and information sharing is just as critical. For ordinary citizens, gaining access to information is necessary for them to make informed decisions about issues that affect them. But when the authorities frequently use claims of secrecy to avoid scrutiny and hide damaging information, then it must be said that they don’t recognise the fundamental importance of access to information. What is there to hide?City gag order stinks 0 Just the other day information and communication technology minister Tjekero Tweya made the right noises regarding the implementation of access to information policies. Speaking during the celebration of International Day for Universal Access to Information in Windhoek recently, the minister greatly emphasised the importance of having legislation for access to information in place, adding that access to basic information could improve livelihoods, especially when it comes to the downtrodden in our society. In recent days, the City of Windhoek has come under the spotlight once again after it took a decision that the practice of supplying the media with documents related to ongoing municipal matters would stop with immediate effect. City officials argued that the decision was based on an existing law that has not been implemented to date. Now instead of making documents available during deliberations on City matters, access will remain confidential until the council has taken a final decision on the matter. The City of Windhoek must be informed that gagging the press through a suppression order to stop media from reporting key details of its matters is not in the interest of transparency nor does it sustain any of our country’s efforts to reduce corruption. Allowing people to seek and receive public documents serves as a critical tool for fighting corruption. In fact the very same City officials have been implicated in corruption scandals over dubious land deals at the municipality that has so far failed to come up with clear land release strategy for its residents. Access to public information cannot be overemphasised. Public institutions, including the City of Windhoek, are there to serve the people and information sharing is just as critical. For ordinary citizens, gaining access to information is necessary for them to make informed decisions about issues that affect them. But when the authorities frequently use claims of secrecy to avoid scrutiny and hide damaging information, then it must be said that they don’t recognise the fundamental importance of access to information. What is there to hide?