Access to information bill withdrawn from House, pending amendments

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Sunday decided to withdraw the access to information draft law from the Lower House to refer it back to the Chamber during the current ordinary session after amendments. 

Minister of State for Media Affairs Jumana Ghunaimat said that the decision is part of the government’s commitment to honouring pledges it made in the 2019-2020 priorities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Ghunaimat, who is also the government spokesperson, added that the priorities include, facilitating the procedures and removing hindrances to citizens' right to access information, enhancing transparency and integrity, expanding the base for exercising public freedoms and increasing censorship over institutions through guaranteeing a smooth flow of information.

The minister said that the government will propose more amendments to the bill, so as to facilitate and speed up procedures necessary to receive information and to set the deadline to complete these procedures, in a way that takes into consideration the interests of information seekers and their right to access them. 

She noted that the government will review Article 13 of the current law, which specifies cases in which government officials can withhold information from the public, adding that the goal is to make information available not hide it.

The new version, according to Ghunaimat, will enhance the independence of the Information Council through guaranteeing civil society institutions membership, and acquainting both chambers of the Parliament with practices of access to information through referring periodic reports to the two houses.

She also said that the law will adopt a reciprocal treatment approach in terms of allowing foreigners access to information, Petra added.