When institutions falter, the defence of RTI falls to citizens
Jan 15, 2025
By Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz
While 2025 was a year marked by despair over the paralysis of Bangladesh’s right to information (RTI) regime, the beginning of 2026 has brought a welcome note of resistance and resolve. One may recall that the departure of all three information commissioners in September 2024 effectively rendered the Information Commission defunct, leaving RTI users frustrated and the law itself dangerously adrift. Yet, rather than surrendering to institutional inertia, RTI activists who persisted in using the law throughout 2025, however hesitantly, began the new year with a clear and defiant pledge: transparency and accountability will not wither through neglect.
At a meeting held in Dhaka on January 8, activists from across the country, joined by prominent representatives of leading civil society organisations, announced plans to form a citizens’ platform to coordinate collective action, support embattled RTI users, and confront the persistent intransigence of public authorities who continue to treat the RTI Act of 2009 with derision. This moment of mobilisation is significant because the RTI regime stands at a critical juncture today. For around 17 years, Bangladesh’s RTI law has survived not because of robust institutional enforcement but because of the quiet perseverance of a relatively small yet committed group of users—journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens—trained and supported by a handful of dedicated NGOs. Their steady engagement demonstrated that access to information could improve service delivery, expose maladministration, and strengthen democratic participation. It was never a mass movement; it was a living one.
