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Opinion - The right to information

2022-02-18  Prof Makala Lilemba

Opinion - The right to information

Namibia again celebrated its Constitution Day on 9 February, as it does every year since 1990, clocking 32 years of nationhood. The constitution deserves to be celebrated as it is the supreme law of the land because without its implementation, Namibia would be chaotic and ungovernable.  

Namibia as a new nation with its diverse cultures and different political orientations managed to drag on within this constitutional framework and provision. Our legislators for the past 32 years passed laws within the constitutional domain. But what the legislators were reluctant to enact was the law regulating access to information for consumption and utility on issues affecting the citizens. 

We are living in an era in which information has become powerful in itself, provided it is put to good use. People need information on their governance, on their rights, on issues like gender-related matters, and who to approach when they are confronted by challenges. It is, therefore, commendable to see members of the National Council crisscrossing the country in soliciting information from the general public to incorporate it into the ICT Bill. 

This is long-overdue, as it was supposed to be carried out immediately after Independence in 1990. But perhaps it is not too late, as it is said, “it is better to try and fail, unlike failing without trying. “ 

One may ask what type of information Namibians yearn to get and access. That could be a million-dollar question as Namibians from different spectrum relish different types and appetites of information. Students will of course try to access information related to their studies, and newly-elected politicians will definitely concentrate on political science and the information thereof, while historians will seek to establish and anchor themselves in the history realm of Namibia and beyond. 

More importantly, many Namibians have been trying to access information regarding their fallen heroes and heroines from both sides of the war frontiers. The scant information provided by few sources is not enough to quench their thirst of trying to find the resting places of their loved ones. Be it in Angola or Zambia, or inside the country, the legislators during these thirsty-two years could have enacted a law to access such information. Inside the country, we have many people whose whereabouts and burial places are not known. These are people like the icons of the liberation struggle Brendan Simbwaye, Vennetty Maswahu, Induna Masida, Judea Lyabboloma Tubakwasa and others in the four corners of Namibia. Those who sacrificed their lives in distant countries should have their remains repatriated back home. If such exercise proved to be too expensive, surely a cemetery with the names of the heroes and heroines inscribed on small planks could have been displayed in some token graves. 

The nation would be visiting those cemeteries once in a while to come and pay their respects to their loved ones. Alternatively, all the names of the fallen heroes and heroines could be inscribed on a memorial monument stone for all who sacrificed their lives for this country, and perhaps the year in which they succumbed to whatever form of death. Otherwise, there should be a book with records of such people, where one can easily and freely come and access such information. This is important, as this will appease the souls of the loved ones who are still living.

Secondly is the task of accessing information in our schools, whose infrastructures are in bad shape. Many schools in the rural areas have not been blessed and greased with the programme of rural electrification. This is a real challenge because even if the ICT bill is passed in parliament as law, many learners and teachers in these deprived schools will not be able to access any information from the internet and other forms of digital nature. This sought-after information should enhance the learning capacity of both learners and teachers, in addition to the few textbooks they use. Some learners, including their teachers, have never seen a laptop or computer, let alone knowing the operations thereof. This might be unbelievable, but that is the reality in Namibia in which the gap between the “haves” and “have nots” is too wide after so many years of nationhood. People might equally seek information why such wide gap has not been filled after such a long period after Independence.

Then follows information which people from all walks of life should use to solve their problems. For example, people in the rural areas may not know the place where to apply for a will, which will allow the smooth division of their property to their offsprings.

 Of course, some old citizens may not be able to access such information as they were born before the computer era, but could use their children to find such information. There could be an argument that Namibia has radio network in all four corners, but the fact is that few issues are covered on radio and television. In addition, the television programmes are in English, like the information on YouTube and other programmes. But the difference and advantage of accessed information is that it can be retrieved and explained to the elders who cannot read and write. The right to information should be seen as a weapon for all Namibians, which they can use in fighting the enemies of the people like diseases, hunger, ignorance and underdevelopment.

 


2022-02-18  Prof Makala Lilemba

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