তথ্য অধিকার আইন

The Daily Star, Friday, December 15, 2023

Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz

It has been a regular feature of this column to moan over the slow progress of the Right to Information (RTI) regime in Bangladesh. The excitement witnessed in the early days since the adoption of Right to Information Act, 2009 was soon gone, leaving a few die-hard enthusiasts and NGOs—plus those using the law primarily for personal reasons—to keep the ball rolling. The expectation that our politically conscious citizens would use the law to monitor the government’s work never materialised.

We identified two main reasons for this: the lack of sufficient civil society engagement with the law, and the impassive attitude and lack of leadership of the Information Commission of Bangladesh in nudging the law forward. While the former reason persists, there have been some positive developments on the latter front. Read more

The Daily Star, Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz

With so much negative news flooding the media in recent times, a piece of good news has provided some warmth. Bangladesh’s High Court has asked the authorities of a public university to allow pregnant and married female students to remain in the dormitories for the time being. The discriminatory nature of such a restriction has been highlighted and the university has been asked why its recent notice requiring such students to leave the residential hall should not be cancelled or withdrawn.

While the news was widely welcomed, very few realise that this move has come after a series of information requests under the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2009 of Bangladesh were submitted by staff members of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) to 38 public universities between December 2022 and July 2023. They were reacting to news reports published in national dailies alleging that pregnant students were not being allowed to stay in the residential halls of Dhaka University. Read more

The Daily Star, Monday, October 16, 2023

Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz

The importance of people’s right to information (RTI) for good governance and sustainable development is often loudly proclaimed but quietly ignored by people and governments alike. It is heartening, therefore, that a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report prescribed a greater role for the RTI law to prevent a recurrence of the kind of financial and political crisis faced by Sri Lanka early last year – and to assure the country’s steady recovery.

The report emerged from the Sri Lankan government’s request to the IMF earlier this year to undertake a Governance Diagnostic Assessment (GDA) of its efforts, following the crisis, to stabilise the country and its economy. These included a combination of steps to restore fiscal and debt sustainability, improve governance, and reduce corruption risks. Read more

The Daily Star, Friday, September 15, 2023

Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz

The experiences of Sri Lanka and Pakistan are lessons for everyone concerned with promoting the right to information.
Last month, two new commissioners were appointed to the Information Commission of Bangladesh, filling positions that had been sitting empty for some time. A fully-functional commission is indispensable for balanced, impartial, and objective decision-making, particularly for adjudicating claims between disgruntled information seekers and recalcitrant public officials. We welcome the new commissioners and wish them well in advancing the Right to Information (RTI) Act, arguably the country’s most important citizen-friendly instrument to promote transparent and accountable governance. Examples from our neighbouring countries can lead the way for our commissioners. Read more