SECTOR 1 However Banda has refused to divulge her business assets, saying she did so when she was appointed Vice President and is now serving part of the same presidential term from 2009. The Attorney General, who she appointed into his position, has supported her in this regard. Even after a prison riot in Zomba in July 2012, the Prisons Ministry refused to reveal how many prisoners had been killed. “If professional people, including journalists, lawyers and even members of parliament, are struggling to access state-held information, ordinary citizens have zero access, even at a District Council level… they don’t even know they have the right to ask for information about why there are no drugs in hospitals, for example.” Another point of concern when it comes to public information being accessible, is that when official documents are available, they are published in English, the country’s official national language, although the national language, Chichewa, is spoken by almost 60 percent of the population of some 15,4 million, according to the World Bank. The last National Population and Housing Census of 2008 found that only one percent of Malawians could read and write in English. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 1.7 (2010 = 1.8; 2008 = 1.9; 2006 = 1.8) 1.9 Websites and blogs are not required to register with or obtain permission from state authorities. Websites and blogs do not have to register with or obtain permission from state authorities. Currently, there are no laws in Malawi that govern the internet or restrict internet service providers from operating. 20 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MALAWI 2012