The Information Bill has been passed by parliament.
28 parliamentarians voted for the bill while 12 voted against the bill and 10 did not vote.
While speaking on the bill, NFP Leader in parliament Professor Biman Prasad said he has problems supporting the bill because it only concerns accessing information for a particular person or individual.
He says there could have been a provision where because of public interest, organisations such as NGOs are allowed to access the information of a public agency.
Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said people who are making decisions about Fijians will now have to actually be cautious.
The bill states that every person has the right to access to information withheld by a public office and information held by any other person and required for the protection of any legal right.
It also says that every person has the right to the correction or deletion of misleading information that affects that person. While speaking, Sayed-Khaiyum used Biman Prasad’s name as an example and Prasad said that the Acting Prime Minister was taking a cheap shot at him.
The bill also gives effect to sections 23 and 150 of the constitution to facilitate the government to correct misleading information that directly affects a person.
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