THE JAMAICA Civil Service Association (JCSA) has joined other groups and individuals calling for a delay in the implementation of the Access to Information Act to give the public service adequate time to prepare for the transparency the legislation will foster.
At the same time, Information Minister and chairman of the joint select committee studying the Bill, Colin Campbell, yesterday gave the clearest indication that the Government would be giving serious consideration to phasing in the implementation of the legislation.
"There is contemplated to be a period of adjustment," Mr. Campbell told the committee. He said this would be done in line with a provision of the Bill which gives the Minister the responsibility to determine the date the Act should take effect after it is passed into law.
The Minister was responding to concerns raised by president of the JCSA, Wayne Jones. Mr. Jones argued before the committee that there needed to be proper training of public servants to deal with the proposed regime of openness; an adequate public relations campaign to boost public awareness about the Act; and investment in database systems to ensure proper storage and retrieval of Government information.
"We need a period in which the public officials will be able to adjust," the JCSA president stressed.
He said this period of adjustment was especially crucial, coming against the background of a civil service which has operated for decades under the cover of secrecy.
A number of groups, including the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), have been urging the Govern-ment to proceed slowly in implementing the legislation to allow the public service time to prepare for the changes by training staff and putting in place adequate equipment, such as photocopying machines.
Recently, Dr. Richard Calland, Executive Chair of the Open Democracy Advice Centre, Cape Town, South Africa, also suggested a gradual introduction of the proposed legislation, arguing that rushing it into being before equipping Government agencies and training staff could invite chaos.
"While it may be frustrating for Government and civil society to delay what is a very important and needed piece of legislation, I would argue that it is better to wait a year or two for something that works than to rush something through that does not work," Dr. Calland told the committee.
He was in the island to participate in a seminar on the Access to Information Act and the Corruption Prevention Act, organised by the Media Association of Jamaica, the Carter Centre and the Jamaica National Building Society.
Meanwhile, the JCSA also wants changes to the controversial Section 19 of the Bill. Supporting other groups who have complained about the section, Mr. Jones argued that the provision was too broad and gave the impression that all Government documents containing opinions, advice and recommendations, would be exempt from public disclosure.
"We think that some kind of safeguards could be put in rather than a blanket exemption," Mr. Jones said.
He added that in the pursuit of transparency, the public should be given information about what advice and opinions the Government receives in arriving at decisions. However, he said the names of public servants and other advisors who offer opinions to the Government, should not be made public.
Several persons and groups, appearing before the committee have quarrelled about Section 19 which they say will have the effect of keeping government deliberations secret, thereby frustrating the purpose of the Act.
The Access to Information Bill aims to provide members of the public with the right to information generated and/or held by public authorities and companies as specified in the Bill. It, however, exempts some documents from disclosure such as Cabinet records and Government documents which contain opinions and advice.
