There seem to be differences in response depending on the authorities’ location.
The interim government should encourage all public officials to respond diligently to the citizens’ RTI requests.
We can learn from how other countries in this region benefit from the law.
There appears to be a shift in the attitude of many public authorities towards the RTI Act.
Delay in reconstituting the Information Commission is hindering transparency and accountability.
Public interest should be the yardstick when balancing citizens' right to information concerning governance and state need to safeguard sensitive information.
The success of the RTI Act anywhere in the world largely depends on the determination and commitment of the citizens to put it to practical use.
The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009 is made of interlocking parts.
Last month marked the International Right to Know Day. From the few seminars and webinars arranged on the occasion, it was evident that even 12 years after the Right to Information (RTI) Act was enacted in Bangladesh, we are still largely preoccupied with how to spread awareness about the law.
he International Right to Know Day will be commemorated on September 28. By adopting Right to Information (RTI) or Freedom of Information (FOI) laws, governments recognise their citizens’ power to demand transparency and accountability about their work. Bangladesh enacted the Right to Information Act in 2009. How did that law fare last year?
The Covid-19 pandemic will be remembered for the colossal chaos it caused to governments as they grappled—and continue to do—with its catastrophic onslaught affecting lives and livelihoods across the globe.
Bangladesh has long been known for the political activism of its citizens, ready to fight for their rights and defend their freedom.
“We see all governments as obscure and invisible,” said Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher and statesman, in 1605.
We must not forget that we cannot bring good fortune for the people if our characters do not change! By rising above nepotism, corruption and self-deception, all of us have to be engaged in self-criticism, self-restraint, and self-purification.”
The deleterious impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the operations of the Right to Information (RTI) Act has been much discussed in the last one year. We drew attention to it in several of our columns.
Jamaluddin of Dinajpur had learnt at a training session that the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2009 of Bangladesh was enacted to provide a legal basis for citizens to exercise their rights as “owners of all powers of the Republic”.
During the construction work of a regional highway in Dinajpur, local inhabitants were increasingly bothered by the dust it generated.
