Access to information is key to democracy

Free information and freedom of expression form the basis for any democracy. Uganda has come a long way on that road, writes Dennis Kawuma Mutumba, supplements editor at The Monitor

In this day and age the power of information cannot be taken for granted.

There is adequate evidence around us, which goes a long way to show us that our social, economic and political environment is determined to a large extent by the amount or quality of information that we are exposed to.

The power of information is clear. Information determines what we buy, what we wish for and what we aspire to become. Information influences how we vote and how we conduct our lives.

The sad reality is that the importance of information to our communities has been taken for granted on a number of occasions.

When speaking of access to information we are referring to the wider issue of democracy. Limitations on access to information imply that there is an overall limitation on the extent to which democracy as broadly understood can be realised.

For one to formulate and develop opinions, which can build a democracy, they need to have access to information and freedom to express their opinions.

Corruption is a key indicator of a system of government that is undemocratic.

This is very clear in many African states including Uganda where corruption continues to thrive mainly because majority of the citizens do not have an idea on how government business is transacted.

The phenomenon of lack of information has not helped to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

It is common knowledge that democracy has a lot to do with fairness and equality. Availability of information will help us to get to know whether we are being governed fairly or unfairly.

Access to information will help us make informed decisions in regard to how we want to be governed.

We should however be cautious not to give in to a single avenue of information, because this deprives us of the opportunity to choose and make a better choice.

Authoritarian regimes and pseudo democracies have a tendency to subject their people to a single and restricted avenue of information. In this kind of situation, the people have to have to succumb to bad governance and other evils of government. All this happens because there is no other option, which would have otherwise helped them make better choices or even resist the evils of bad governance.

Although there is still much more that ought to be done, the Ugandan government ought to be appreciated for the strides it has taken to see to it that information is available to Ugandans. The liberalising of the airwaves is one commendable stride that the government has taken.

In Uganda today, there is no taxation being effected on computers and other information technology appliances. This also comes as a result of government acknowledging the need and value of information for development. However the reality is that even after waiving taxes, the average Ugandan can not easily afford the services of information technology.

Uganda’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme can be an effective tool in making information available to people. Government should act fast to address the issue of the UPE quality, as this is one sure way of reducing the levels of illiteracy and therefore contributing to the building of democracy.

The letter has been shortened by the editor