This right is enshrined in the Mozambican Constitution, but has not been respected to date because there has been no legislation to support this constitutional provision.
After years of discussion, MISA-Mozambique formally deposited a draft bill on freedom of information with the Assemblys Legal Affairs Commission in November 2005. But nothing happened no attempts were made, either by the majority Frelimo Party or by the opposition party, Renamo, to debate the matter in the Assembly plenary. The MISA-Mozambique draft was not simply an initiative of journalists. There had been a vigorous debate, and other civil society bodies, such as the Mozambican Debt Group and the Human Rights League, also backed the call for freedom of information.
With the new parliament emerging from the 28 October 2009 general elections, some of the working commissions have changed their names and their scope. This is the first time that a parliamentary commission will deal with media affairs, and MISA-Mozambique regarded this as a positive development.
Meanwhile, African Regional Conference on Access to Information, sponsored by the Carter Centre, will take place in the Ghanaian capital of Accra on 7-9 February 2010. The conference will be attended by members of governments, media professionals, and representatives of civil society bodies and donor agencies to discuss the problems that still persist to block access to information in Africa.
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