Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal hailed the Access to Information Act (ATI), 2002, as a “gift” to the Jamaican populous, but lamented that the legislation is not optimally utilised to keep government officials and public servants honest.

On Saturday, September 28, JAMP celebrated the merits of ATI 2002 in observance of International Day for Universal Access to Information, as proclaimed by the 74th UN General Assembly in October 2019.

“At the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP), we witness firsthand the transformative impact of Jamaica’s Access to Information (ATI) Act 2002. Enacted by Parliament, this legislation empowers citizens with access to government-generated information about public goods and services. Through this Act, we’ve developed six citizen-centric tools to enhance your participation in Jamaica’s governance,” the organisation outlined in a release.

Quoting the preamble of the 22-year-old legislation, the organisation said it was instituted to “give further effect to government accountability, transparency and public participation in national decision making”. Moreover, it said the Act grants citizens the right to request official documents from the government.

As a tool in the hands of citizens, the legislation facilitates scrutiny of government decisions, fact-checking of government reports, and learning more about how Government and Parliament work.

“We, the people, can directly access information that shapes our lives and nation, allowing us to voice our concerns or commendations effectively,” JAMP said, adding that it leads to meaningful action.

Among the results of the ATI the organisation cited are: agency preparation of financial reports, leading to compliance; remedying of breaches reported by the Auditor General; and resumption of stalled investigations.

Furthermore, the Act empowers citizens to exercise oversight of public affairs as owners of public assets and resources. Yet, according to JAMP, the process is “not perfect” and requires some improvements in responsiveness.

“We appreciate the support received from ATI Officers and from Permanent Secretaries. While the process is not perfect and we anticipate improvement, of the 668 requests submitted, 82 per cent have received responses,” it shared.

Additionally, the organisation acknowledges that whereas Jamaica is one of 10 sovereign Caribbean countries with access to information legislation, the ATI Act is underutilised due to a lack of awareness of its existence, uncertainty about how it works, and doubts about receiving responses. At the same time, JAMP argues that there is an over-reliance on media and political rhetoric to understand important issues.

To this end, it called on Jamaican citizens to “fully utilise” the ATI to hold political leaders accountable, strengthen trust between the Government and the public, and ensure that every decision made has the interests of Jamaicans at heart.