Speakers at a seminar on Monday said the government has enacted Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009 to empower the people through ensuring their access to information.
The RTI has widened people’s access to information, which will help establish their constitutional rights in all spheres of development, they told the seminar on “Right to Information: Media” organized by Kagoj Kolom, a weekly magazine, at the Jatiya Press Club here.
Prime Minister’s Media Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Chairman of Bangladesh Press Council Justice Mamotaz Uddin Ahmed, President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, President of Dhaka Union of Journalists(DUJ) Shaban Mahmud, Member of Bangladesh Press Council and Online In-charge of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Dr Utpal Sarkar and Editor of the Ajker Surjoyday Khandaker Mozammel Haque, among others, addressed the seminar with BFUJ Secretary General Omar Faruque in the chair.
Journalist and columnist Kamurzzaman Hira presented the keynote at the seminar highlighting various aspects of RTI Act.
Describing RTI Act as a time-befitting initiative of the present government, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury said both public and private organizations are coming out of culture of secrecy providing information to the people through application of RTI Act.
“Democracy should be given an institutional shape through establishing rule of law, ensuring transparency and accountability of all activities of both public and private organizations,” he said, adding the RTI Act will significantly help to give democracy an institutional shape through its proper application.
Referring to Article 39 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, Justice Mamotaz Uddin said, “Freedom of thought, conscience and speech is recognized in the constitution as one of the fundamental rights and right to information is an inalienable part of freedom of thought, conscience and speech.”
“Article 7 of the Constitution states that all power of the republic belongs to the people and it is necessary to ensure right to information for empowerment of the people,” he added.
Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul said the RTI Act has been formulated for people of all levels to ensure their access to information, which eventually would help combat corruption bringing transparency and accountability in all development activities.
