CSOs punch Malawi government harder

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Jappie Mhango

A Civil Society Organization in the country have given government a 7 day ultimatum to come out clear on the issue of Access to Information Bill and explain the reasons why the bill will not be tabled in Parliament this time as parliamentary deliberations are underway in Lilongwe.

This comes barely a few weeks after government announced that the bill will not be tabled in Parliament because it has got a lot of information which was not supposed to be in the bill and it has to be scrutinized again.

But commenting on the development, chairman for Citizen Alliance, Wifled Asibu, said that government has to come out openly and explain what they want to remove from the bill.

Jappie Mhango
Mhango:Minister of Information.

Speaking on the issue, chairman of legal affairs committee at Parliament, Peter Chakwantha, his committee approved that the bill had to go to Parliament because all the procedures had been followed in the bill including the review process.

He said: “We were expecting that the bill will be tabled in Parliament this time but our committee just heard that it will not be tabled.”

“I think the government is hiding something which Malawians should have to know because the bill will be able to give Malawians an opportunity to know what they doesn’t know but which they want to know.”

This comes hot in the heels of contradicting reports that the bill was now ready for tabling wit other media reports suggesting that the cabinet has thrown it to the bin.

Mutharika had revealed that the bill was ready for tabling in the ongoing session, in his address the opposition branded ’empty’.

As if this was anything to go by, Information Minister Jappie Mhango hinted that the bill had inconsistencies such that it would still not be taken to parliament until the said inconsistencies are ironed out prior to the final presentation in parliament.