Press has been said to be the fourth estate or fourth power in a political system. However, it is not formally recognized as part of a system or government, it lays significant indirect social influence in the system.
In an Islamic system, an accurate, real and truth-based press and media is the key element, the observance of which can restore a sharia-based governance.
Access to information by media and sharing it with the people, in order to help restore transparency in the government affairs and activities, is the most important issue that is implemented, valued and supported worldwide.
Since no government is clear of corruption and the people have the right to get information about their officials’ activities and if the system is serving the nation fairly, media should be paid high respect and value, in an Islamic society.
Given to the most important issue, authorities of the Ministry of Information and Culture of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan vowed that the government will soon implement laws on mass media and access to information.
Few days ago, the deputy Minister of Information and Culture for publication affairs, Hayatullah Muhajer Farahi, said that the law would be implemented with a slight difference and shared with the media.
As the deputy minister said, the leadership of the Islamic Emirate would decide on the laws which have earlier been sent to and would expected to approve it with a slight change. The leadership will confirm and approve the laws and then would be accessible to mass media and the people.
Lack of media access to information and failure of the people to get access to information about the facts and the officials’ activities, have frustrated both media outlets and the nation, as wide number of issues are yet to be made clear for the people, mostly due to failure of media to access information from government officials. However, as mentioned, many corrupt officials have so far been taken under persecution and some arrested and taken to justice.
If media have no access to information and the people are kept out of realities, it will be too difficult to disclose and prevent corruption all over the government administrations and punish corrupt officials.
A lot of corruptions has been revealed and prevented and perpetrators have been arrested and punished, after the return of the Islamic Emirate to power over the past more than one year.
Both journalists and the people are happy with the initiative of the Ministry of Information and Culture, as they said they have been fed up with a long delay to put the laws into effect.
All government officials and organizations have to provide journalists with access to information to be shared with the people.
Implementation of the laws, as have been in effect during the former government, would help restore a good governance and help the Islamic Emirate authorities differ between honest and corrupt officials.
Access to information helps restore transparency in affairs
