Basseterre, St. Kitts: a Freedom of Information Act has been drafted and submitted for debate in the National Assembly by the opposition, according to a report in the Observer.
Mark Brantley, opposition leader, said as with Integrity in Public Life, which the opposition had unsuccessfully submitted for debate among legislators last year, the Freedom of Information legislation was essential for the development of any country.
He said even as the Opposition has submitted new bills, it was not giving up on its efforts to have Integrity in Public Life legislation brought to the House for debate, even if it meant making amendments to it.
According to the Observer report Brantley said the Freedom of Information Act is vital for democracy and that the draft legislation had the input of all members of the opposition.
“It is a product we are happy with. We have looked at similar Acts in the region, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize and Trinidad and Tobago and what it does it creates a framework where ordinary citizens can demand documentation from the Government…All too often we hear of decisions being made, policies being implemented, we hear of things happening in our Government and quite frankly we the general public do not know what is going on and have no information. What the Freedom of Information Act seeks to do is to create the necessary framework where ordinary citizens by going through the proper channels can demand documentation…subject to national security concerns,” Brantley said.
The Observer report stated that Brantley said that the opposition is still hoping that the Integrity in Public Life legislation would find its way to the Parliament for debate. “Our position is that we are prepared to go back to the drawing board, look at that legislation again,” he said.
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