The International Right to Information Day -2017 will be observed today (Thursday) in the country as elsewhere across the world with the theme ‘Powering Sustainable Development with Access to Information’.
The International Right to Information Day was proposed on September 28 in 2002 at a meeting of freedom of information organizations from around the world in Sofia, Bulgaria.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the eve of the day.
President Abdul Hamid, in his message, said: “Access to information is the civic and democratic right of every citizen. The Constitution of Bangladesh has recognized the access to information as an inalienable part of the fundamental and constitutional right”.
The right of every citizen to freedom of thought and conscience, freedom of speech and expression and freedom of the press are guaranteed by Article 39 of the Constitution, he said, adding the government is committed to ensuring the people’s right of access to information.
Terming information as power, the President said free flow of information facilitates to establish citizens’ rights equally and empowers the people in society and over the state authorities.
Abdul Hamid hoped that the observance of the ‘International Right to Information Day’ would create public awareness on Right to Information as well as to ensure free flow of information and reinforce people’s empowerment.
In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said information is an important tool to empower people. “To give importance to citizens’ right of access to necessary information and to fulfill our election pledges, we passed the Right to Information Act 2009 and constituted the Information Commission,” she added.
As a result, she said, the right of people and the mass media to get information has been ensured. The government has played a pioneering role in flourishing and empowering the country’s mass media, she added.
