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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The Open Democracy Bill: a preliminary investigation into its provisions and their implications for public administration
Author:De Giorgi, Benita
Year:1999
Periodical:Politeia: Journal for Political Science and Public Administration
Volume:18
Issue:2
Pages:23-36
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:political systems
rule of law
Abstract:Open and accountable public administration is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. This is reflective of a commitment to openness and transparency in government. To give effect to the aspiration of a free and open democracy, a so-called Open Democracy Bill (ODB) was first drafted in 1996. This article outlines the general context of this Bill and what it tries to achieve, indicates the need and constitutional requirement for a piece of legislation of this nature, describes the main features of the Bill (provision for public access to government information, provision for correction and protection of personal information, and protection of whistleblowers), gives attention to the open meetings component, which was omitted in the 1997 final draft, and to the appeal mechanism, and examines the objections raised against the ODB (cost concerns, increase in public service workload, and increase in the size of the public service). Despite several flaws, the ODB is a milestone in South African legislative history, signifying a break with a public service culture of secrecy. Bibliogr., sum.
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