Richard Calland: "What I detected on Tuesday from the Access Officers was a real sense that these other laws were a problem for them dealing with requests." - FILE
DESPITE LAUDING the nation's Access to Information (ATI) Act and the due process it facilitates, ATI specialist Richard Calland, raised concerns about other laws that might be in conflict with the act.
"I think that your biggest problem is not the (ATI) law itself but the other laws, which may be in conflict with them. And, I think that is a real problem," he said.
Mr. Calland, executive director of Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC), said that during a meeting with ATI officers last Tuesday he detected that certain existing laws were presenting a hindrance to them carrying out their duties expeditiously.
"What I detected on Tuesday from the Access Officers was a real sense that these other laws were a problem for them dealing with requests," he noted. "It (other laws) were having a chilling effect on their ability to be confident in making decisions in favour of openness."
URGENT ATTENTION NEEDED
Mr. Calland stressed that if the other laws were really posing this difficulty, it is a matter that warrants urgent attention. Mr. Calland was one of the panel presenters at last Thursday's staging of the Access to Information seminar held under the banner 'Access to Information: Building a Culture of Transparency' at the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston.
However, Mr. Calland had some kind words for the growth of the nation's ATI legislation and the due process it facilitates.
"You are where you could and should be at this time of your journey and I think that's a remarkable achievement," he said.
Last week's forum was staged by the Carter Center in tandem with the Ministry of Information and Development and the Access to Information Stakeholders Committee.
