Centre LSD, OPG condemn ‘obnoxious bill’ by national assembly to scuttle transparency
Centre LSD, OPG condemn ‘obnoxious bill’ by national assembly to scuttle transparency
The workshop highlights the critical tension between legislative threats to civil liberties and the cooperative spirit of the Open Government Partnership. Participants strongly condemned pending bills that restrict freedom of expression and association, viewing them as direct violations of constitutional rights. This stance underscores the necessity of safeguarding the open data ecosystem by protecting the civic space and legal frameworks that enable transparency and free flow of information. A core implication for open data is the urgent need for government agencies to fulfill their Open Government Partnership obligations. Civil society and government must move beyond adversarial relationships to forge a genuine partnership in implementing the National Action Plan. This collaborative approach is essential for ensuring that commitments to transparency are not merely theoretical but are actively enforced, thereby strengthening institutional accountability and public trust in governance structures. The relevance to open data lies in the empowerment of citizens and media to hold institutions accountable through existing laws, such as the Freedom of Information Act. By encouraging citizens to exhaust all legal avenues for accessing information and leveraging media partnerships to expose non-compliance, the initiative reinforces the practical application of transparency principles. This collective effort ensures that open data initiatives translate into tangible improvements in public finance management and governance integrity, serving as a model for how civil society can drive sustainable openness.
Source: quicknews-africa.netPublished on 2025-10-05