PR Society wants ATI implementation shelved: Argues regulations were drafted without stakeholder consultations

The Public Relations Society of Malawi (PRSM) has asked the Tonse-led administration to shelve the gazetting and operationalization of Access to Information (ATI) Act regulations until adequate consultations are done with prospective implementation agencies and other stakeholders.

Msasa: The draft regulations in the current form have serious gaps

In a statement signed by the society’s president Lewis Msasa, the group said while it commends the new administration for its commitment and sense of urgency to operationalize the long-awaited ATI Act, there is a serious omission in a democratic dispensation in the way the government drafted the regulations that will facilitate the implementation of the Act.

Reads the society’s statement in part: “The draft regulations in the current form have serious gaps and impractical demands that will certainly undermine the implementation of the ATI Act.

“The regulations are critical in the successful implementation of the ATI Act and any rush to gazette them without ensuring that the requirements therein are realistic and practical would result into public institutions struggling to comply with the law, thereby denying Malawians access to information which they need for the exercise of their rights.”

According to Msasa, PRSM believes that a slight delay in the gazetting of the regulations to allow reasonable consultations with stakeholders, including heads of implementation agencies and their communications personnel as well as relevant professional bodies, is important and necessary for the successful operationalization of the ATI Act.

But government spokesperson and Minister of Information, Gospel Kazako, says government will go ahead with the implementation of the Act.

It is not yet clear what steps PRSM will take to stop the implementation of the Act.

The gazetting of the date for the rollout of the implementation of the Act earned the Tonse government a pat on the back, especially from the media and human rights organizations, which have been fighting for the enactment of the law.

PRSM was officially launched on August 4  2018  to promote professional PR for national development.

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National CEO
National CEO
4 years ago

Never heard about this organisation before.

mtete
mtete
4 years ago

Bill passed way back in 2016 and these Cadets have been giving excuse upon excuse to operationalize the Act; probably fearing we will find out how they stuffed every government department and parastatal with unqualified goons or how they used other people CVs to gain employment. Sorry, ATI is now operational and there is no going back.

nyarugwe
nyarugwe
4 years ago

BWANA MSASA PLEASE WOPANI MULUNGU

JACK OBAMA
JACK OBAMA
4 years ago

I have read what this piece from this guy all what I can perceive from him or rather them as hallucination. They are just mere speculation and conjecture. What are they afraid of I think they feel their jobs are at stake beco are the ones who have have been blocking the access to information in any organisation. Please whatever you call yourself PR what what leave us and go to hell we do not need your passive thinking. ATI woyeeee

CESSPOOL
CESSPOOL
4 years ago

This piece of legislation has collecting dust until the Tonse Government has lifted it from whichever corner it was lying now here is another guy in the name watchdog starts creating a mountain out of molehill. Let the ATI roll out the brush will touch on the stains or else this Msasa guy is just a DPP plant he is interested in reversing the gains which this ATI will offer to our citizens. Our demonstrations during the cry for fresh presidential election were inadequately informed simply because the information about our plight across the corruption plundering activities by the DPP… Read more »

wayaman
4 years ago
Reply to  CESSPOOL

if one would understand this guy he has a point. this information has to be organised and cataloged for easy access..without this it will be the same as not having the Legislation. muzikafikira kwandani in those offices? you need to recruit officers in the records management field for this to be operation…bravo all the same lets have it to score the marks.

Leader of Operations
4 years ago

Koma anthu ena kukamwa ndi maganizo awo ndende ndendende. This bill was passed kale kale anali kuti? Kuchedwa kutokosa mmano basi. Kodi mwati bungwe limemeri nthawi ya ma demo ija linapangapo chani? Ngati pa ma demo sanatengepo gawo , sitikufuna kumva maganizo awo. Zokomo kumpando

wayaman
4 years ago

kodi a ku mademo munavoter nokha….anthu played different roles to be where we are. nanga akakufunsani kuti inu ngati a demo akupatsani udindo wanji..be constructive..kapena inu akupatsani ganyu yochita critique articles in the papers…muli bho.

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