The motivation to declare May 3 Press Freedom Day was to sensitise governments on the monumental importance of freedom of the press and to remind them of their duties to respect and uphold the right to larger issues of freedom of expression which, it had been observed generally received scant attention amongst most governments. It is no accident that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights underscores freedom of expression as a basic human right. This year's celebration was held under the theme 'Freedom of Information, the Right to Know'. In Botswana media practitioners, academics, labour unions, civil society and other interested parties have called for the introduction of a freedom of information law, but the government and legislators have largely remained impervious to this legitimate demand. A lot of information resides with public bodies and such bodies have a duty to share the information with whoever needs it. The public's right to know should be an over-riding consideration when access to information is considered.
As we observe World Press Freedom Day, we are bound to count some losses and celebrate some achievements. We implore our legislators to take a long hard look at the performance of our country and consider whether Botswana could not have made major advances if the country had adopted and implemented a freedom of information law as it is the case in progressive democracies around the world.
