Tarequl Islam :
Right to information is, so to say, a greatly emphatic fundamental human right in prevailing modern democratic states or societies throughout the world, in that it works well for those nations wanted to be always informed and conscious about their surroundings and to keep their governments and activities thereof under their observation.
RTI is thought to be a powerful anti-corruption weapon and in favour of the development of good governance. Information mobilizes the people, and they – by being informed – can make the government attentive to them. The outline of the RTI, to people, can pave the way of getting information concerning corruptions and decisions of bureaucracy detrimental to the public interest, and the way of being conscious to defend other basic rights. Thus the transparency and accountability of the government are ensured, and the good governance, too, is possible to be substantiated in a state.
Corruption in the development of the country is a main barrier to Bangladesh as well as each of all the developing countries. So following the concept of RTI, the free stream of information is, with no doubt, able to play a key role in the minimisation of corruption.
As the present world is going forward with the acute flow of information, it is time to be informative for our commons-else people barring data and information are unlikely to go with the advanced present time. Consequently the latter-day concept of RTI – as is widely hoped – is indispensable to be implemented in the splendid furtherance of each democratically valued country like Bangladesh. Having a variety of information, people can – by dint of the act – make widespread development for their states and themselves. The outlines of RTI, if implemented properly, will ensure the accessible information-stream, transparency, accountability and good governance in Bangladesh.
Commons are not yet conscious enough about the right to information, though the RTI Act was enacted in 2009 in Bangladesh. There are ample lacks of mass-awareness regarding what opportunities, steps and system advised by the Act are in vogue to provide information for.
According to the RTI Act, it is obligatory to appoint a Designated Officer in every government and non-government organization who would provide the sought information for the applicants following the regulations and exceptions of the law in exchange for the determined fee.
It is important for every organization to preserve all necessary information, so as to provide them for the applicants when sought and to publish and present their activities pro-actively to keep people informed and updated. People also want to have the right to get information from the heterogeneous NGOs and the private sector, apart from public sector. However, the responsibility of implementing the RTI Act though largely lies on the Information Commission, the politicians the influential institutions of the society such as private organizations, corporate offices, print and electronic media, public representatives, and the general people are also responsible to assist in the implementation of this Act.
It is very woeful that the people living in marginal areas know very little about what kind of knowledge and skill is required for what to do as per law from asking information to getting information. It can be a reason why the use of RTI among commons is hardly seen in applied field yet. In this respect, our government has to be more attentive to promulgate extensively in regard to RTI so that all levels of people can be attended to apply their right to information effectively.
Each citizen possesses the right to information in compliance with the RTI Act-2009 not only for giving consent to but also for exercising it to enhance the overall democratic reflections of our country and so all citizens should consciously have at least ordinary knowledge as regards the RTI Act in order that they can apply it to an optimal extent in their daily life whenever they need any information as their volition but obviously subject to some ‘reasonable restrictions’ embodied in the Act.
The RTI Act 2009, while enacting, meant to be an inalienable part of the article 39 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The Act in preamble says, “Whereas freedom of thought, conscience and speech is recognized in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh as one of the fundamental rights and right to information is an inalienable part of freedom of thought, conscience and speech; and Whereas all powers of the Republic belong to the people, and it is necessary to ensure right to information for the empowerment of the people.” But because of self-censorship and less of freedom of press and expression, the Act-2009 – though said to have been compatible with the Article 39 of the Constitution – hardly ever works for getting or publishing information of some actions or decisions sensorial to our national interest, independence and sovereignty, or of agreements arranged with foreign countries in confidence by our government. What’s more, the editors and journalists in the country are to, as is usual, face the summons of courts, threats and thunderclaps from the politically dominant party as soon as they have published any information concerning haughty and worse aspects of the administration or government.
Very lately Transparency International (TIB) has been heavily thundered by the leaders of the governmental party owing to calling the present Parliament ‘opera house’. In this case, Sultana Kamal, a prominent human rights activist and Chairperson of TIB said in an analogical term that we live in the domain of Hallaraja. This time even the civil society – too constricted by political pressures to opine – can’t anymore stand such choked situation. In this arduous situation, how can the outline of the RTI Act be implemented with the spontaneous participation of people – while there is hardly any freedom of expression here?
Turning off a number of social communicating media including Facebook for over half-month in the bugaboo of terrorism like western leaning was not much of a decision, and also mustn’t have been familiar to the article 39 of the Constitution as we know that anything welfare for people and democracy is not possible to do by disrupting freedom of expression.
More often than not, the government is seen to be pretending to the countrymen and international community that they are sincerely working for the actual information, human rights and democracy in Bangladesh. But it is not fair on the one side to babble on behalf of freedom of expression and on the other to act in contrast to own words.
Freedom of expression, thought and conscience being sustained, the outline of the RTI Act can perform more than ever. Not until ensuring both legitimate democracy and the congenial atmosphere in favor of freedom of expression can people’s participation and warmth in exercising and implementing the RTI eventuate to an optimal extent in Bangladesh.
Right to information is, so to say, a greatly emphatic fundamental human right in prevailing modern democratic states or societies throughout the world, in that it works well for those nations wanted to be always informed and conscious about their surroundings and to keep their governments and activities thereof under their observation.
RTI is thought to be a powerful anti-corruption weapon and in favour of the development of good governance. Information mobilizes the people, and they – by being informed – can make the government attentive to them. The outline of the RTI, to people, can pave the way of getting information concerning corruptions and decisions of bureaucracy detrimental to the public interest, and the way of being conscious to defend other basic rights. Thus the transparency and accountability of the government are ensured, and the good governance, too, is possible to be substantiated in a state.
Corruption in the development of the country is a main barrier to Bangladesh as well as each of all the developing countries. So following the concept of RTI, the free stream of information is, with no doubt, able to play a key role in the minimisation of corruption.
As the present world is going forward with the acute flow of information, it is time to be informative for our commons-else people barring data and information are unlikely to go with the advanced present time. Consequently the latter-day concept of RTI – as is widely hoped – is indispensable to be implemented in the splendid furtherance of each democratically valued country like Bangladesh. Having a variety of information, people can – by dint of the act – make widespread development for their states and themselves. The outlines of RTI, if implemented properly, will ensure the accessible information-stream, transparency, accountability and good governance in Bangladesh.
Commons are not yet conscious enough about the right to information, though the RTI Act was enacted in 2009 in Bangladesh. There are ample lacks of mass-awareness regarding what opportunities, steps and system advised by the Act are in vogue to provide information for.
According to the RTI Act, it is obligatory to appoint a Designated Officer in every government and non-government organization who would provide the sought information for the applicants following the regulations and exceptions of the law in exchange for the determined fee.
It is important for every organization to preserve all necessary information, so as to provide them for the applicants when sought and to publish and present their activities pro-actively to keep people informed and updated. People also want to have the right to get information from the heterogeneous NGOs and the private sector, apart from public sector. However, the responsibility of implementing the RTI Act though largely lies on the Information Commission, the politicians the influential institutions of the society such as private organizations, corporate offices, print and electronic media, public representatives, and the general people are also responsible to assist in the implementation of this Act.
It is very woeful that the people living in marginal areas know very little about what kind of knowledge and skill is required for what to do as per law from asking information to getting information. It can be a reason why the use of RTI among commons is hardly seen in applied field yet. In this respect, our government has to be more attentive to promulgate extensively in regard to RTI so that all levels of people can be attended to apply their right to information effectively.
Each citizen possesses the right to information in compliance with the RTI Act-2009 not only for giving consent to but also for exercising it to enhance the overall democratic reflections of our country and so all citizens should consciously have at least ordinary knowledge as regards the RTI Act in order that they can apply it to an optimal extent in their daily life whenever they need any information as their volition but obviously subject to some ‘reasonable restrictions’ embodied in the Act.
The RTI Act 2009, while enacting, meant to be an inalienable part of the article 39 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The Act in preamble says, “Whereas freedom of thought, conscience and speech is recognized in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh as one of the fundamental rights and right to information is an inalienable part of freedom of thought, conscience and speech; and Whereas all powers of the Republic belong to the people, and it is necessary to ensure right to information for the empowerment of the people.” But because of self-censorship and less of freedom of press and expression, the Act-2009 – though said to have been compatible with the Article 39 of the Constitution – hardly ever works for getting or publishing information of some actions or decisions sensorial to our national interest, independence and sovereignty, or of agreements arranged with foreign countries in confidence by our government. What’s more, the editors and journalists in the country are to, as is usual, face the summons of courts, threats and thunderclaps from the politically dominant party as soon as they have published any information concerning haughty and worse aspects of the administration or government.
Very lately Transparency International (TIB) has been heavily thundered by the leaders of the governmental party owing to calling the present Parliament ‘opera house’. In this case, Sultana Kamal, a prominent human rights activist and Chairperson of TIB said in an analogical term that we live in the domain of Hallaraja. This time even the civil society – too constricted by political pressures to opine – can’t anymore stand such choked situation. In this arduous situation, how can the outline of the RTI Act be implemented with the spontaneous participation of people – while there is hardly any freedom of expression here?
Turning off a number of social communicating media including Facebook for over half-month in the bugaboo of terrorism like western leaning was not much of a decision, and also mustn’t have been familiar to the article 39 of the Constitution as we know that anything welfare for people and democracy is not possible to do by disrupting freedom of expression.
More often than not, the government is seen to be pretending to the countrymen and international community that they are sincerely working for the actual information, human rights and democracy in Bangladesh. But it is not fair on the one side to babble on behalf of freedom of expression and on the other to act in contrast to own words.
Freedom of expression, thought and conscience being sustained, the outline of the RTI Act can perform more than ever. Not until ensuring both legitimate democracy and the congenial atmosphere in favor of freedom of expression can people’s participation and warmth in exercising and implementing the RTI eventuate to an optimal extent in Bangladesh.
