South Asian, African experts call for measures to strengthen RTI enforcement
DHAKA: South Asian and African experts meeting here called for strengthening processes to ensure the right to information, and for ensuring integrity of information commissions and recognition of governments as key stakeholders.
Information commission members and staff, along with lawyers, journalists and civil society activists from six countries -- Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Kenya and South Africa -- participated at the conference hosted by The Social Architects (TSA), Research Initiative Bangladesh ( RIB) and Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) on October 26 and 27.
Discussions focused on procedures for seeking information and performance of governments and public authorities in bedding down the transparency regime, appeal and complaint procedures before information commissions, the role of the courts in relation to RTI, proactive and routine information disclosure, and low-tech and hi-tech solutions.
Panelists discussed the selection process of information commissions, ensuring transparency in the process and guaranteeing insulation from political interests. They highlighted the need for capacity building of RTI service providers/officers.
They urged governments and information commissions to put in place accessible and disabled friendly access to information, digitalisation of public records and information management.
Based on the urgency in matters relating to information about the life and liberty of an individual under threat, they called for RTI commissions to prioritise the queries of information pursuers.
Social media can be an ally in the promotion of people’s access to truthful and reliable information on the working of public authorities in the age of “post- truth” and “alternative facts”.
Participants also urged government bodies and NGOs to collaborate in spreading awareness among the people about RTI laws. In order to encourage public authorities and civil servants to implement the law effectively, a scheme of incentivizing performance should be instituted along the South African model.