Strangely enough, the term blackout carries another meaning. blackout is a technique that those in power are quite familiar with. It means depriving the press of any iota of information on a number of subjects. This brings us to the annual report of ?Reporters sans frontières? released this week and in which Mauritius has scored good marks on the subject of press freedom.

Mauritian journalists enjoy freedom close to their Western Europe counterparts, says the report. One might ponder on the word «close» and go a bit further to consider in depth the yardstick used to measure the freedom of the press. The right of access will then surely crop up.

Unfortunately, it cannot be said that the Mauritian press enjoys a right of access to information. The present government has grown into a champion of blackout and some ministers go to the extent of saying bluntly that they will not talk to such or such reporter who,according to them, are anti-government. Or perceived as such.

A shocking attitude when we look back on history and the Mouvement militant mauricien, which has been in the past a declared staunch supporter of the freedom of the press and democracy. Not only is the right of access denied to the Mauritian press, but those suspected of giving information to journalists are also harassed.

Of late, the police has been pestering members of the press and inquiries have been ordered on press reports. Journalists have been bluntly asked to reveal their sources by the Central Criminal Investigation Department. ?Reporters sans frontières? is surely not aware of this situation and will surely be alarmed if ever those police inquiries made last year turn into court cases.

The Mauritian prime minister is known for his declared admiration for India and is known to follow closely Indian policies. He is surely aware that, last month, the Indian state minister for Personnel introduced in the Lok Sabha ?The Right to Information Bill?. The important changes proposed in it include the establishment of an appellate machinery with investigative powers to review decisions of Public Information Officers, penal provisions for failure to provide information as per law and provisions to ensure maximum disclosure and minimum exemptions.

?Penal provisions for failure to provide information as per law?. This might be perceived as a threat and send tremors of fear to many an incompetent ?press attaché?, which Government House harbours. No political party has, since independence, been bothered about the right of access and no one has ever dared to trek along the path greater and more effective access to information.

In the wake of what has been happening recently, it is high time that this question be raised and the right of access to information discussed between government and the local press. Tomorrow may be too late.

In simple words, this means that Mauritius will never be in a position to have such a ?right of information bill? if the ball is not set rolling now. This right is enshrined in the second amendment of the US Constitution. Ours guarantees the right to information; the blackout policy of the government may thus one day be challenged in the Supreme Court. This could be one way of setting the ball rolling.