Obama sets example of openness

MERE hours after he took office, American President Barack Obama directed agencies to change how they respond to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act in an effort to improve government transparency.

The new standard will require agencies to err on the side of making information public, rather than using legal arguments to restrict access to requested documents.
The decision was greeted with applause by the Media Institute of Southern Africa who called on governments in the region to make similar commitments to transparency and the right for citizens to access government-held information, which in principle is public information.
Sampa Kangwa-Wilkie, regional programme specialist for freedom of expression at Misa, said they are concerned about the absence of freedom of information legislation in southern Africa, including Namibia.
“With the exception of South Africa, no country in the region has a law guaranteeing the right to information. While a few countries have draft bills in place, the pace has been incredibly slow demonstrating a lack of leadership and commitment,” she said.
In remarks to his cabinet secretaries and senior staff, Obama said on Wednesday his actions were “aimed at establishing firm rules of the road for my administration and all who serve in it” and to help restore faith in government.
Obama’s new orders are designed to improve the US government’s openness and transparency.
The first memo instructs all agencies and departments to “adopt a presumption in favour” of freedom of information act requests, while the second memo orders the director of the office of management and budget to issue recommendations on making the federal government more transparent.
“My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government,” Obama said in one of the two memos.
Obama said the US government must be transparent as it promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their government is doing.
“The government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears,” Obama said.
In responding to requests under the FOIA, he said, agencies must act promptly and in a spirit of co-operation, recognising that they are “servants of the public.”
Obama directed the yet-to-be-named chief technology officer to develop an “open government directive” in the next four months.
Executive departments and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public.
“Government should be participatory. Public engagement enhances the Government’s effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions. Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit from having access to that dispersed knowledge,” he said.
He said government officials must offer Americans increased opportunities to participate in policymaking and to provide their government with the benefits of their collective expertise and information.
– christof@namibian.com.na