A government that does not allow its people to decide for themselves the credibility of information that is in the public arena, is a government that is scared of its people, Tonga's Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Samiu Vaipulu told a workshop to consider a Freedom of Information Policy for Tonga on February 13.

Hon. Vaipulu was echoing the words of of a former USA president.

In his keynote address as chairman of a Cabinet Steering Committee for Freedom of Information Policy, Hon. Vaipulu emphasized the importance of a Freedom of Information Policy or a Information Disclosure Policy for government, and he reaffirmed the commitment by Tonga's first majority elected government to democratic principles, and Freedom of Information.

The workshop held a the Fa'onelua Convention Centre was attended by Town and District Officers, representatives of Non Government Organizations, and others who have an interest in free speech and freedom of expression.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the desire of the government for a transparent and an accountable government. The steering committee will table a Freedom of Information Policy Paper to cabinet before the end of March, and government would like to see a FOI policy in place this year.

The Minister of Justice and Public Enterprises, Hon. Clive Edwards spoke on key issues that were outlined in the Discussion Paper, such as: "Who is covered?", "What information is covered?" and "What information is not covered?

The cabinet minister, however, spoke on the relevancy of Freedom of Information Policy to Public Enterprises and he said he believed that most information about public enterprises should be accessible to the public, but there were restrictions with regards to some information. Personal information about an employee is one. Another example of how information about a public enterprise is inaccessible to the public is the Janfull International Dateline Hotel where government is a minor share holder with 49% and Janfull with 51% therefore the majority shareholders are in control of what is accessible to the public and what is not. The minister said that they were in the process buying back shares from Janfull.

He encouraged participants at the workshop to take the discussion papers to the community, and for the people to contribute to the drafting of the policy.

The 22 pages discussion paper for the development of a Freedom of Information Policy for Tonga covers six topics: guiding principles, accessing information held by the government; exemptions or reasons for non-disclosure of government information; implementation and operational costs; and appeals process and independent review.

The one-day workshop did not allow much time for discussion some of the interesting but controversial issues that the Steering Committee presented in the discussion papers, such as the retrospective nature of the proposed policy, meaning that one could go back and retrieve information on some of the controversial and secretive happenings of the past.

The proposed amendment to the Official Secrets Act and the exclusion of the Monarchy and the Royal Family from the scope of the Freedom of Information Policy for Tonga were also two very interesting issues that were not touched during the workshop.

According to the discussion papers the Tongan Government will be able to acknowledge requests for information within two working days and provide a response within 10 working days, though at the initial implementation stages longer time allowanes may be necessary.