Sierra Leone Moves Towards an Access to Information Legislation

Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai is leading the campaign

Sierra Leone is a small country in the West African region that witnessed a brutal civil war which lasted for over a decade. The factors responsible for that civil war are, but not limited to corruption which almost became part of society, the lack of an independent justice system, the lack of a free press and the inability among citizens to access public held information. But today, the country has been able to address some of these problems and is still moving in the direction of tackling those that have not been addressed. Today, there are institutional reforms like the Anti Corruption Commission that is primarily responsible to fight graft, the Independent Media Commission that is charged with the responsibility to regulate the media in the country and many other institutions.

Also the country is currently at a crossing point with efforts undertaken to ensure a continuation of the democratic credentials it has achieved. It had a peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another.

The issue of ensuring an access to information law in the country became a political weapon that was used by most, if not all the political parties in seeking the political mandate of the electorate prior to, and during the 2007 Presidential and Parliamentary elections .These elections saw President Ernest Bai Koroma being elected.  Most of the political parties, especially the main SLPP, PDMC and APC had promised to ensure an access to information law when once elected into office.

A local based Non Governmental Organization the Society for Democratic Initiatives has been instrumental in the campaign for an access to information law in the country. Since 2005, the organization has been meeting with all stakeholders in the process, including Parliamentarians, Cabinet Ministers and even with the President, Ernest Bai Koroma. In January 2009, the Society conducted a National Consultative Conference for civil society activists in Makeni

The Consultative Conference was primarily funded by the Open Society Institute for West Africa (OSIWA) and it was aimed at looking at issues relating to the enactment of the Freedom of Information (FOI) law. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Executive Director for the Society Initiatives, is optimistic that “Access to information law will come to reality in the next one year or never”, he once said during the consultative meeting with civil society activist in Makeni The SDI Director also thinks  the limitation to access to information law and the retention of certain infamous provisions in the 1965 Public Order Act, is affecting the media profession in Sierra Leone and as such the law should be enacted by government

In September of 2008, the Society for Democratic Initiatives also met with the Minister of Information and Communication, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo as part of the Society’s advocacy campaign for the enactment of the Bill. During that meeting, the Minister stated that it is part of our government’s policy to get an access to information law saying ‘If you look at the APC manifesto the need for a transparent government is part of our policy and this can be achieved through access to information,” He then promised taking up the issue again with his colleague cabinet ministers and also discuss it with the president for government’s action.

In December 2008, a cross section of members of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and that of the Society for Democratic Change met with and presented to the President a draft copy of the Freedom of Information Bill, prepared by a coalition of civil society activists, with the Society for Democratic Change taking leadership.   In principle, the President spoke of his support for an access to information law and that was somehow encouraging taking into account the importance of an access to information law in Third World countries.

Plans are underway to ensure that the bill is enacted by next year. The Society for Democratic Initiatives and other civil society groups are working assiduously to get government’s attention in enacting the bill.  Recently Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, Minister of Information and Communication told this writer that his government ‘is a committed one that believes in communicating with the people and this is seen through the Open Government Initiative’.

An access to information law will help a country in ensuring an open governance system and this is paramount if a government wants to ensure its political longevity in power. Sierra Leone is no exception to this but indications are that the country will soon become part of those countries with a freedom of information law, if the determination that President Koroma has shown is put into practice   as far as this aspect is concerned.

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