STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA 4.1.2 Access to Information Bill (ATI) The ATI has been a subject of debate since the year 2002. The first quarter of 2019 however presented hope on the enactment of the bill into law. On 19th March 2019, the Daily Mail publication carried a headline, “Access to Information Bill Approved.” It was reported that cabinet had approved the Access to Information Bill through a tweet from Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Hon. Dora Siliya. In the tweet, Ms. Siliya said that the bill was meant to promote proactive and organised dissemination of information to the public. She tweeted: “I am happy to announce that finally cabinet has approved the Access to Information Bill aimed at proactive and organised dissemination of information. This is a new beginning.” As stated already, the debate on enactment of the ATI has been ongoing since the year 2002. Before the Patriotic Front government came into power, it promised to enact the Access to Information Bill. For seven years, the debate for the bill has raged on. In November 2011 shortly after assuming power, the then Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mr. Given Lubinda said government was committed to enacting the bill into law. In February 2012, the then Permanent Secretary in the same ministry Mr. Amos Malupenga said the bill would be presented to parliament. In July 2013, the then Minister of Information, Kennedy Sakeni, also assured the nation that the bill would be presented to parliament. To date, the bill has gone only up to the cabinet approval stage. Despite scoring on the approval of the bill by cabinet, government has been taken to task on the publication of the contents of the bill. Stakeholders have argued that the contents of the bill should be publicised so that the public is kept in the know. In response to calls for publication of the contents of the bill, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Chanda Kasolo on 27th March,2019, was quoted in the Daily Mail Newspaper Publication advising stakeholders and individuals calling for the publication of the contents of the Access to Information (ATI) Bill to be patient. 11