Parliament in the recent days approved legislation relating to freedom of expression and privacy that are reminiscent of the cold war era. In the same week a piece of legislation considered standard in 21st Century Democracies- the 'Freedom of Information Bill' received fierce opposition from the majority of the Members of Parliament.
As the civil society movement in Botswana we would like to express our unqualified disappointment at all members who have so far opposed the Freedom of Information Bill and those who voted in favour of the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority Bill. Whilst we express our disappointment we call on MPs to redeem themselves and rise to the defence of the Constitution of Botswana which protects, amongst others freedom of expression and the right to privacy at the next opportunity. On the same breath we request the MPs in future to play an effective role as a governance structure in Botswana to ensure that approval of legislation is for the benefit of this nation, selfless and for restoring the dignity of our people.
