FOI, Seychelles needs that too

I got asked a question recently from a Seychellois living abroad about the Freedom of Information (FOI) concept in Seychelles. The person wanted to know why I don’t use FOI as a journalistic tool to scrutinize the government and ensure more transparency in LSH’s reporting.

FOI is a system to control access to official documents and a means by which journalists, and citizens, can scrutinise and publicise the work of governments.

It is a modern concept that most democratic and liberal societies are putting into law. To date, over 90 countries around the globe have enacted some form of FOI legislation. Sweden’s Freedom of the Press Act of 1766 is the oldest in the world.

 

Amongst the 53 African states only four have some form of FOI legislation – South Africa (2000), Zimbabwe (2002), Uganda (2008) and Nigeria (2011). Is that surprising in any way? FOI laws deal with official documents of an agency or a minister, and sometimes government-owned corporations and certain contractors, but have only limited range over Parliaments, law enforcement agencies and the courts. FOI is a human right and countries that are opposing its enactment are in violation of international human rights law. The delaying tactics in enacting the FOI Act serves to show the world that these governments are failing in their duties to promote openness. 

So in answer to my friend’s question, Seychelles is far from even discussing openly the idea of introducing the concept of FOI. Over here the culture of managing the flow of information to the media and the public at large prevails. The free media is not invited to any government official press briefings as a means of ensuring that the community hears their preferred message above all others. But am happy that he has raised the point and that we can know start a public dialogue on the issue.

Every local organisation concerned with FOI, government accountability, the right to disseminate information and also the pursuit of transparency should come together and agitate for this much needed piece of legislation. Today our population is interested in several areas of government such as sale of state land, economic management, key infrastructure projects, the management of major sports and events, security clearance procedures, the management of major funds like the Children’s Fund and any systemic corruption which we can only start to comprehend fully with the help of FOI.