The Malawi chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA- Malawi) has appealed to public institutions in the country to be transparent and respect citizen’s right to know.
MISA Malawi chairperson Thom Khanje made the appeal at Malawi Sun Hotel in Blantyre Wednesday, September 30, 2015 when the institution unveiled the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) as winners of the 2015 Golden Key and Golden Padlock Awards respectively.
“The 2015 Golden Key and Golden Padlock Research clearly show that public institutions rarely value the public’s right to know. Citizens have a right to know and it is important for public bodies to respect this right,” Khanje said.
He said Malawians can only make informed decisions and effectively participate in the governance and development process when they have information. He said the study showed that only 3 out of 10 public institutions sampled for the study responded to requests for information. Khanje said most public institutions also do not proactively provide information to Malawians.
“Section 37 of the Malawi Constitution guarantees the right to access information held by public bodies. This right includes an obligation on the part of public bodies to proactively provide information to Malawians as well as the duty of such structures to give Malawians information if requested. This is not case. Malawians are failing to access information and public bodies are not willing to give Malawians information,” Khanje said.
MISA Malawi has been conducting research on level of openness in government institutions since 2009 to motivate public bodies to open. The study also aims at justifying the need for legislation on Access to Information.
The study is designed to assess level of openness in public institutions by analyzing websites of sampled institutions and sending questionnaires to the said institutions. MISA also follows up with oral requests for information.
This is the second time both MEC and DRTSS have won the awards. MEC first won the Golden Key Award in 2014 and have retained it in 2015. DRTSS first won the Padlock Award in 2012.
MISA Malawi continues to lobby government for legislation on ATI and chances are high that the bill will be tabled in Parliament in November.
For more information contact MISA Malawi chairperson Thom Khanje on +265 999143174 or email thomkhanje@yahoo.com or National Director Aubrey Chikungwa on +265 888 32 73 11 or aubrey_chikungwa@yahoo.com
