Documentary on Information as Right: use of RTI Act by civil rights activists.
Documentary on Information as Right: use of RTI Act by civil rights activists- Click for Watch.
We need a ‘public interest override’ in the RTI Act
Friday, November 15, 2024
Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz
Since the interim government of Bangladesh assumed power in August 2024, we have
been advocating for the immense potential of the Right to Information Act (RTI) 2009
in promoting transparent and accountable governance. In today’s column, we highlight
a crucial principle of transparency currently missing from our RTI Act but deserving
inclusion: the “public interest override.” The principle has been incorporated into the
laws of many liberal democracies worldwide, making it a part of a larger global
movement.
International standards for transparent governance, which have evolved since the end
of the Second World War, advocate for the “principle of maximum disclosure” as the
ideal for all RTI laws. It asserts that, as a general rule, citizens have the right to access
all information held by the government, with very few exceptions. These exceptions
should be as narrow as possible and aimed solely at protecting the state’s legitimate
interests. In other words, public interest should be the yardstick when balancing
citizens’ right to information concerning governance and the state’s legitimate need to
safeguard certain sensitive information. Read more
Time to put the RTI Act on the right track
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz
The country’s fledgling Right to Information (RTI) regime has not escaped the popular demand for sweeping governance reform since the interim government assumed power. This was inevitable as the entire tenure of the RTI Act 2009 in Bangladesh coincided with the 15-year rule of the ousted government. Like many other laws of the land, it too suffered the debilitating consequences of an autocratic rule affecting all democratic institutions of the country. However, the inherent potential of the law to establish people’s oversight of government activities remains intact. A new government with a mandate to restore peoples’ sovereignty has ignited new hope for it.
Since its inception, the primary objective of this column has been to enhance the effective use of the RTI Act by citizens to promote good governance. The relatively scarce use of the law over the years has yielded some positive outcomes in a limited field of government activities, but no significant gains were made on larger issues of national importance. Read more
101 of the RTI Act for Bangladesh’s youth activists
Monday, September 16, 2024
Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz
Since the formation of a new popular government in Bangladesh in August 2024, the prevailing theme in the country has been reform and change of the entire governance mechanism. A popular outcry, particularly from students and the youth in general who led the movement to oust the previous regime, has called for a complete overhaul of all branches of the government, which have been mired in years of corruption and malpractice. The catchphrase for change is the establishment of transparency and accountability for all public servants to the people they serve.
While experts work out the reforms, citizens are also responsible for playing a more decisive role in holding all future governments and their administrative units accountable. For that, they can resort to an existing, readily available law: the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009. Similar laws exist under different names in various parts of the world, mostly known as Freedom of Information (FOI) laws. In Bangladesh, the RTI law was first introduced as an ordinance by the caretaker government in 2008 and later adopted as an act by the new parliament in 2009. Read more
Right to information: Time for the sunshine law
Monday, August 19, 2024
Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz
Now is the opportunity for our youth to lead us in using existing laws to build a better country
The seismic changes in Bangladesh in three fateful weeks—from mid-July to early August—were a powerful testament to people’s power. The induction of an interim government led by Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus has been a harbinger of hope for the country’s Right to Information (RTI) Act. This law can help meet the nation’s cry for systemic change in governance.
Over the years, this column has lamented that a powerful law like the RTI Act has not been utilised to its full extent. More than a handful of activists and individual citizens have used it, but Bangladesh’s civil society, known for its stand on public issues, has largely stayed away. One reason for this was the fear of possible reprisal by the authorities facing information requests on sensitive matters that may expose their misdeeds. Read more
