Malawi govt makes u turn on Information Bill

Ministry of Information has sharply contradicted minister of Transport and Public Works Francis Kasaila on Access to Information Bill as the government says it will now be tabled in the forthcoming seating of parliament.

The u-turn is also a clear indication that there is a huge problem on how communication is managed and disseminated within the government departments and ministries.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the ministry of informarion says the bill will be tabled in the forthcoming parliament which starts Friday.

The statement says the government is committed to tabling the bill in parliament because it is part of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) campaign promise and is contained in the party’s manifesto.

This sharply contradicts what Kasaila, who is also Leader of the House and government business told the press in Lilongwe. He said the bill is not yet ready for tabling because the government is fine tuning it and might be tabled in the next seating of parliament next year.

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera told a local radio station that the opposition would put pressure on government to table the bill in the forthcoming parliament.

“We will speak for Malawians. We are touching base with all Malawiams. We are meeting chiefs,” he said.

The ministry of Information recently came out screaming against presidential press secretary Gerald Viola who suggested in an interview that government will buy a presidential jet when the economy improves.