Dar es Salaam: It is unfortunate that while the Fourth Phase government has all along been stressing its commitment to transparency, some of its top officials seem intent on dashing the public's hopes of having greater access to information.  We are referring here to access to unclassified information from ministries, government departments and state agencies, which is still difficult to obtain despite repeated assurances from the highest office in the land.

For instance, a minister's itinerary of a tour to inspect development projects is still regarded in some quarters as "confidential" information that is not supposed to be shared with the public at large. Such is the rigidity in the system.  This, however, amounts to defiance of the presidential directive that requires ministries and government departments to promptly furnish the media with information upon request for onward dissemination to the public.

 
It is almost four years since President Jakaya Kikwete directed Cabinet ministers and other bureaucrats not to switch off their mobile phones to make them accessible to the media at all times, but access to information remains minimal.  Very few senior government officials pick up their phones when called by journalists.  Others pick up their phones all right, and promise to call back after a few minutes, but they never do.

All this is happening in a country where the right to information is enshrined in the constitution.  It makes one wonder why government officials are still reluctant to provide information.

One cannot help but concur with the assertion by Media Council of Tanzania executive secretary Kajubi Mukajanga that some government officials deliberately withhold information because they have something to hide.

There have been calls for the enactment of a freedom of information law.  While it is unlikely that such a law will remedy the situation overnight, it surely will go a long way in changing mindsets insofar as the provision of information is concerned.

*  Editorial comment in The Citizen, Tanzania