It was pointed out that the right to express oneself freely applies equally to all citizens – including journalists. The matter of professional ethics needs to be determined separately and without infringing on this basic right. Minimum qualifications should be set by the media professionals themselves as happens in other professions. SCORES Individual scores: Average score: 1.5 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 4.9 (2005 = 5.0) Protection of confidential sources of information is guaranteed by law. ANALYSIS: This is not the case in Botswana. There is, however, a desire for this to happen as expressed in Vision 2016, a set of long term policies for the country. Vision 2016’s Council and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime are calling for whistle-blower legislation to be put in place. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 1.6 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 1.1 (2005 = 1.1) Public information is easily accessible, guaranteed by law, to all citizens including journalists. ANALYSIS: Although the freedom to receive information is constitutionally guaranteed, there is no freedom to seek information from government. The Civil Service Act provides that no one except the Permanent Secretary in government departments can give information to the press. There is a lot of arrogance within the civil service whose members regard themselves as gatekeepers. This attitude – rather than that of politicians - is proving to be the biggest obstacle to access information. The Vision 2016 document says that Botswana should have a Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) in place by 2016, but government has publicly stated that the country is not yet ready for this type of legislation. The Vision 2016 Council, however, is trying to expedite the process. There is also a chance that back-benchers in Parliament might push for freedom of information legislation as many of them are unhappy with the status quo. At the level of the executive, though, there is no real political will to bring about change. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: So This Is Democracy? 2007 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1 1.1 (2005 = 1.0) -152- Media Institute of Southern Africa