By Isaac Zulu
Operation Young Vote executive director Guess Nyirenda urged the civil society organizations to be proactive and ensure that the Access to Information (ATI) law is implemented to the latter for the benefit of all Zambians.
Speaking in an interview Daily Revelation, Nyirenda said if well implemented, the Access to Information (ATI) law will play a pivotal role in preventing corruption, not only among government officials, but the private sector and the corporate world.
Nyirenda said ATI law will enhance transparency and accountability in the governance system in the country.
“The Access to Information law will enhance transparency and accountability in the governance system of our country. This, if well implemented, is a preventive tool against corruption,” Nyirenda explained.
He said that Access to Information law is not only beneficial to media practitioners, but to the general citizenry as well.
“This law will enhance citizens’ participation in the political, social and economic discourse of the nation. And this is the best Christmas gift that President Hakainde Hichilema should give to the Zambian people by assenting to it,” Nyirenda said.
He urged civil society organizations not to relax, now that the Access to Information agenda is almost being assented to by the Head of State, but instead continue playing a watchdog role and ensure that the law is implemented to the latter.
“Like I said, most people thought that the Access to Information agenda was for the media. But, as Operation Young Vote, we have been advocating for the Access to Information agenda from the very beginning. And it is against this background that we would like to urge civil society organizations to be proactive and ensure that the Access to Information law is implemented to the latter for the benefit of all Zambians. And we are very optimistic that the President, being a person that is informed about the processes that were involved, will not hesitate to assent to this particular document so that it becomes law,” said Nyirenda.
