Fiji is ranked 111th out of the 140 countries with laws on the right to information, and based on this a lot of work has to be done to ensure the right to information guaranteed under the 2013 Constitution is fulfilled.
Looking at the Pacific, Vanuatu is the highest ranked country in the region with a global ranking of 10th.
Steps are now being taken to amend and implement the Information Act 2018 by the first quarter of next year.
The Information Act that was passed in parliament during the FijiFirst Government’s rule in 2018 was never implemented, and could not be operationalized as the Accountability and Transparency Commission was never appointed.
This has not been implemented from the promulgation of the 2013 Constitution although the Constitution states that we should have a Accountability and Transparency Commission and a Freedom of Information Act.
The media, Fiji Council of Social Services, government officials, Opposition MPs including Jone Usamate, Faiyaz Koya and Virendra Lal, political party representatives, the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission and other organisations are taking part in the 2-day Workshop on the Right to Information in Fiji that concludes today.
Toby Mendel, the Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Democracy in Canada which does the ranking, says they have a strong methodology for assessing the strength of the legal framework.
He says Fiji’s Information Act is not a shining example of the best law but he believes that with the commitment of the Attorney General and this government, they are going to change that and push Fiji up very considerably.
Attorney General Graham Leung says the support of civil society organizations has given them a lot of encouragement and support, and with organizations such as the Centre for Democracy and UNESCO, he thinks they are well on the way.
He says they are personally committed to this initiative and will see this rollout in the coming weeks and months.
Leung says there have been times in our recent past where the mindset for some in the civil service was more aligned with secrecy but freedom of information requires transparency and openness in government as well as accountability.
He says there has to be a change in the culture and the values of the public service that aligns with the new law and sometimes some civil servants are defensive when things go wrong.
The Attorney General says the best advice he can give is if you have dropped the ball then admit to it as the public has a right to know.
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