Editors Suggest How Institutions Can Give Them Better Access to Information
SEP20081230036001 Phnom Penh Reaksmei Kampuchea in Cambodian 30 Dec 08 p 3
News editors and media representatives from both the newspapers and the radio
and TV in Cambodia have urged the various ministries and state institutions to
be more open in providing information for the media to covey to the public.
This appeal was made at the Fifth Editors' Forum organized on 27 December by
the Club of Cambodian Journalists under the sponsorship of the Konrad Adenauer
Foundation in Cambodia. After consulting with each other, the news editors
from 35 organizations issued a joint statement reflecting the situation
regarding access to information faced by the journalists in receiving official
information from ministries and state institutions. The statement reads in
full as follows:
All of us, 35 persons (as seen in the attached list with our signatures) who
are editors of both the newspapers and radio and TV in Cambodia, met during the
Fifth Editors' Forum in Phnom Penh on 27 December 2008 to discuss and assess
the situation of access to information which we face in our professional work
during the year, and to find solutions for this problem. Under the theme
'Access to Information and Different Problems Faced' speakers raised problems,
expressed views, and provided recommendations related to:
- The situation of access to information for foreign news agencies in Cambodia;
- Access to information related to the Preah Vihear border disputes;
- Access to information at different provinces countrywide; and
- Access to information at the central level (in Phnom Penh, at ministries, at
private companies)
Then, the Fifth Editors' Forum of Cambodia discussed, in general, all points
raised in the forum by the speakers who joined in assessing the situation of
access to information in Cambodia with an elevated sense of responsibility.
Noteworthy Problems Identified Limiting Access to Information [subhead]
After discussions and assessments the Fifth Editors' Forum saw the following
problems:
1- Spokespersons, Public Relations Officials or Information Officials: Many
ministries and state institutions, especially the National Assembly and the
Senate, as well as various organizations and companies, do not have
spokespersons, public relations officials, or information officials who can
professionally fulfill these tasks. This has become a major obstacle against
the flow of information for the general public, as guaranteed by the
Constitution of 1993.
2- Provision of Documents: In general, official documents are necessary to
ensure that a report and its information are made correctly. Not all official
documents are confidential. Official documents have to be published by
individual institutions and ministries that have the obligation to provide
information to the public and to publicize their own activities..., but such
documents are mostly not provided or prepared for publication and are not
provided to journalists, not even their annual recapitulative reports and
reports about their work targets in the coming year.
3- Different Programs, Activities, and Meetings: Meetings that should be open
are often declared to be internal and confidential affairs of the institutions
and the journalists are asked to leave the meetings. At the same time, the work
plans of the leaders of ministries and of other institutions are usually kept
locked away in the drawers of the administrative assistants, so that sometimes
it appears that the ministry leaders are more secretive than the prime minister
and sometimes they even appear not to be working at all.
4- Press communiqués: A small number of ministries issue press releases about
some important events. But regrettably most ministries and institutions do not
announce information and some pieces of important information are released
unexpectedly late.
5- Regular Meetings and Press Conferences: In contrast to what is done in other
modern countries, most ministries and institutions do not hold press
conferences or meet with the press at all although there were important and big
problems to be explained and published. This keeps the public uninformed about
the activities and the work of such ministries or institutions.
6- Websites: Websites are one of the most important sources of information in
this era of information technology. Most ministries and institutions have their
own websites. This is an encouraging start. However, it is regrettable that the
websites of most ministries and institutions are not kept updated with new
information. Therefore, their websites cannot provide information and do not
indicate where information can be found.
Conclusion [subhead]
The weaknesses and shortcomings mentioned above are problems working against
access to information and, consequently, they make the efficiency of different
services, especially of public services, questionable. Nevertheless, these
problems can be addressed without waiting for a law on access to information.
Corrections can be made through a change of attitude of some officials and by a
reorganization of the working structures at different institutions and
ministries. The Royal Government has done a lot of work for the people's
wellbeing and for national development, but the above shortcomings seem to
negate all achievements and accomplishments when they are not properly shown to
the public so that they can be known, heard of, and seen. Besides, some facts
concerning the social and economic lives are ignored or are not solved in time
and, consequently, everyone is a loser, both the Royal Government and the
citizens.
Appeal in the situation that the Law on Access to Information is not yet
adopted:
1- The Fifth Editors' Forum of Cambodia would like to ask all ministries and
institutions to appoint their information officials, public relations
officials, or spokespersons and to organize their work so that they can work
professionally and can fulfill their different tasks, such as to provide
documents and data about the work and about their activities, and especially to
be able to respond to questions from the journalists.
2- All ministries and institutions should hold press conferences or meet with
the journalists regularly to provide information about their activities and
about the work of their ministries and institutions, and these conferences must
be conducted at least once a month.
3- In cases of emergency, all ministries and institutions should release timely
press communiqués for publication in the interest of the public. The
publication of timely information can sometimes avoid danger and damage.
4- All ministries and institutions should create their own websites to provide
information to the public. As for some ministries and institutions that already
have their own websites, they have to update information on their websites
everyday when there is new information.
5- The Fifth Editors' Forum of Cambodia will observe and assess the provision
of information, and the Sixth Editors' Forum, to be held in 2009, will promote
and strengthen the role of the Cambodian press both in Cambodian society and on
the international stage.
[Description of Source: Phnom Penh Reaksmei Kampuchea in Cambodian Translated
as Light of Cambodia. Widely read pro-government daily newspaper.]
"My Khmer Compatriots, ask not what Cambodia and her People can do for you, ask
what you can do for Cambodia and her People"
The Khmer Politicians have only interpreted the Cambodia and her beloved people
in various ways.
The point, however, is to change it...
---Khmer Blood---
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