Wednesday October 19, 2016
Kabul (BNA) A statement from the presidential office quoted President Ghani as issuing some decrees asking the ministers and provincial governors for arranging information about their effective plans and classifying them in cooperation with the oversight commission on access to media to help the people get full information on the authorities’ works and performances.
The statement also said that the government officials at the center and provinces of the country, have to hold at least monthly press conferences with media about their works and performances to share their achievements with the people. Likewise, they should conduct biweekly session with their spokespersons about the fresh events and helping them informed about, a move would help them regularly remain in contact with the media and could provide answers to their questions. The ministries and other government organizations at the center and provinces of the country should introduce at least three of their senior officials including deputy minister, with specific contacts of phone number and email to the media for fair and timely providing information to the people. The government authorities at the center and provinces should take regular information meeting with the media, said the statement adding, for more coordination, the presidential senior advisor on public relations and strategic and the presidential spokesperson office should remain in regular contact with the government authorities at the center and governors of the provinces.
The statement added that the ministers and governors should regularly provide information about their performances to the presidential administrative affairs to take them to them to the presidential office.
The decrees come after the president of the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghnai, after a few years of delay, issued the law on access to information, which has been put into practice recently, but it seems, some challenges still remain before the implementation process of the law. The decree can pave the executive ground of access to information and obliges the organs concerned to remain accountable before the media and the people. Journalists faced several cases of violence in 2016, while trying to access information from the organs concerned. By implementation of the law, those violating the rights of journalists should be trailed to justice.
Lailuma Noori
