All posts by : transparencyvanuatu.com

THE THIRD TRIP for the Right To Information (RTI) public consultation tour came to end on Friday 8^th on the island of Malekula. The public consultation program was spearheaded by Transparency International Vanuatu alongside the Right To Information Unit from the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO).

The team arrived on the island of Malekula on Saturday the 3^rd and headed for accommodation at Lakatoro. After months of dry weather and dusty roads Malekula had finally began to turn back to its original green, thanks to the rain that had been pouring down regularly over the past couple of days.

On Sunday the 4^th the team prepared to depart for consultation with the community of Wallarano, the Transparency International Vanuatu Team made headway for Wallarano at 9 o’clock that morning.

Initial arrangements had scheduled that the team arrive there at 10 o’clock, just in time for the Sunday Service to end so that the people can gather together at the church hall, for the RTI awareness, before they went home to have their lunch.

The RTI awareness session run just above an hour and a half, after which the villagers asked questions while some wrote down their thoughts on a two meter long brown paper that was placed at the front of the hall.

A village elder, in a white buttoned shirt with navy blue jeans, voiced that “to stop corruption this (RTI) Bill must pass because I want to know the work of MP’s. 36 years have passed in this country that has had too many corruption issues, this thing (corruption) must stop. This (RTI) Bill must pass, I support it.”

“Yes, the Right To Information will help the grassroots people to access the exact information that they want” stressed a stout villager in his early thirties, “it is for the grassroots to get the right information and to avoid corruption” he emphasized.

The rain had continued to pour heavily throughout the day with strong winds while the RTI consultation session run on undisturbed inside the church hall. Given the abundant amount of wind and rain predictions of a potential depression somewhere near showed concern on the faces of several elders from the village.

After the Wallarano RTI session the team returned back to Lakatoro where they were staying until they returned to Port Vila on Sunday the 10^th.

Over the course of one week the team visited the communities of Unmet, Matanvat, Brenwei, Pinalum, Atchin, Walarano, including Rensarie College, Lakatoro Junior Secondary School, Amelvet Secondary School, Lakatoro Market House, Norsup College, Norsup Hospital, and Tautu. A Public Forum was also held at the Wilkins Stadiuim Conference room where public servants attended to learn more on the Rigth To Information.

At Pinalum the chief there thanked the team for visiting them, “thank you for coming to do this awareness. The Right to information is a good thing. If we have the right to access information then we can be mo certain when and proactive when we question politicians who come and campaign during elections in our community” he said.

The last location to visit was the community of Brenwei at North West Malekula. The team visited the secondary school there to talk with the teachers and the students. “The RTI must pass so that we can know information about any projects in our school and community” stated a student while another wrote down on paper that the Right To Information Law would be very helpful because “all the high offices will respect any group age to pass the information asked.”

At those places that were visited the TIV officers distributed over 500 Vanuatu Constitution books that were translated into Bislama.

The Right To Information Policy was launched by the government in early 2014, thereby forming the basis for the Right To Information Bill to be developed. The RTI Bill was listed to be debated in Parliament in late 2014 but was withdrawn for further revisions.

TANNA IS AN island full of independent endeavors. When Transparency International Vanuatu visited the island in February the air was immense with booming activities, small to medium scale businesses continue to increasingly operate throughout the township of Lenakel.

Construction work on the new tar seal roads had opt in a new vision for the future as folks begin to dream about the vast potentials waiting to be explored once the whole of Tanna becomes physically accessible.

Evidently, life after Cyclone Pam is indifferent, the same challenges continue to be faced; rough roads, unmaintained infrastructure, lack of information, and the lack of proper medical facilities. Despite these challenges the show of resilience by the people continue to downcast the reality of the situation.

And to see a school principal smile while several of his classrooms had no rooftops is a reminder that their hope for a better tomorrow is what faithfully keeps the classroom doors open.

Transparency International Vanuatu, in association with the Right To Information Unit, had planned this RTI toksave trip to Tanna immediately after doing the same thing on the island of Santo in November of last year.

The TIV Team landed on Tanna on the 21^st of February and stayed over at Lenakel for two days before traveling to Imaki Village in south Tanna to conduct the RTI awareness there. The road there is rough, only the toughest vehicles with experienced drivers can get there.

The community of Imaki lies above on a plateau looking out to sea, out against the horizon the islands of Futuna, Aniwa and Anietyum can be seen on a clear day. The village accommodates a Francophone primary school and a secondary school called College D’Imaki, and the people there are largely from the catholic denomination.

When the team from Transparency International Vanuatu arrived there the village was still in mourning, three deaths had occurred in the past week, one involving a young woman who had unfortunately died at sea when gathering seaweed while gale force winds from TC Winston stormed from the east.

The RTI awareness at Imaki gathered students from both the Primary and the Secondary classes. After the awareness copies of the Vanuatu Constitution booklets were donated to the school’s library.

Nancy Feimanga is a women leader is the community, she also attended the Transparency International Vanuatu (TIV) Right to Information Awareness session,, she says that apart from assisting women in the community “I keep them updated on matters that may affect their livelihoods the RTI policy is one of them.” (Source Info: Pacific Leadership Program)

Overall, the teachers at Imaki expressed their support for the Right To Information Bill, “since we are living in a very isolated part of the island this new bill would definitely support the community given that easy access to information will be legalized,” a secondary school teacher said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PugIDXjXfc&feature=youtu.be

WATCH: Right To Information Tour – Tanna Island.

For more information on the RTI or any other topics surrounding the work of Transparency International Vanuatu please contact us at Tel: 25715 or email: transparency@vanuatu.com.vu