Dear Editor,
I do not believe that the PPP has anything to fear from a Freedom of Information Bill and as such I see no reason why Prime Minister Sam Hinds would seek to say that Guyana is not ready for the Freedom of Information Bill as yet. Saying that the Bill is inevitable but not right for these times is ludicrous and I ask Mr Hinds to support the passage of this Bill.
Right here right now, Guyana is ready for the Freedom of Information Bill and I encourage Raphael Trotman and Khemraj Ramjattan to proceed cautiously and openly with this Bill so that it can be passed in Parliament.
But proceed they must. This Bill is not going to be left to the whims of politicians who are scared to have their actions analysed. The AFC needs to use its “Cabinet” to get the PPP Ministers on-board in an open process. This Bill will be openly debated and not left to “handshakes in the dark”.
It is about transparency and accountability and as such it should not be presented in a “hidden” manner, or closeted manner, but openly debated in public so that all Guyanese will be able to see who is supportive of the Freedom of Information Bill. This will enable us to understand which politicians have tendencies to act against the spirit of Guyana Constitution. Those that support this Bill will show that they want Guyanese to enjoy their cherished freedom.
We, Guyanese, are going to ask every Government Minister to support our freedom by passing this Bill.
There are going to be things that may need to be re-examined but these can be pointed out by the UN or any other democratic country and as such I see no reason as to why the Government cannot proceed to get this Bill through Parliament.
I encourage the AFC to proceed to get the private sector on board starting with the contractors who bid for government contracts, lawyers, banks and the media. Then divide the workload by letting the various Chambers of Commerce get the rest of the private sector on-board.
Yours faithfully
Sean Adams
