We need a ‘public interest override’ in the RTI Act
Public interest should be the yardstick when balancing citizens' right to information concerning governance and state need to safeguard sensitive information.
1w ago
Time to put the RTI Act on the right track
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.
1m ago
101 of the RTI Act for Bangladesh's youth activists
Bangladesh's RTI law is the best law to utilise in making a new Bangladesh where people's power reigns supreme in the true sense of the term.
2m ago
Right to information: Time for the sunshine law
Now is the opportunity for our youth to lead us in using existing laws to build a better country.
3m ago
RTI kept alive by rural, semi-urban citizens
In Bangladesh, those at the grassroots level with little knowledge about the intricacies of governance have found the RTI law useful and convenient.
5m ago
Citizens must use RTI Act to its full potential
The use of the RTI Act is not merely to focus on government work, but to operationalise good governance too.
5m ago
Right to information takes centre stage in Indian elections
The Indian Supreme Court's recent decision on electoral bonds underline the importance of citizens' role in exercising their right to information as watchdogs of good governance.
6m ago
Arrest and imprisonment of journalist over RTI request is ominous
The eruption of hostility surrounding the submission of a simple RTI request to a public official was uncalled for
7m ago
June 15, 2020
Transparency and accountability of government actions during Covid-19 pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic will be recorded as one of the most consequential events in human history. A small part of that history will relate to how governments interacted with their populations in responding to the crisis.
May 15, 2020
RTI/FOI Acts: Another Victim of the Covid-19 Pandemic
One of the institutional casualties of the global Covid-19 pandemic is people’s right to information.
April 16, 2020
RTI in the time of coronavirus
The Covid-19 pandemic, sowing misery across the world, has thrown the role of the state into stark relief.
March 15, 2020
Learning from the UK’s experience
Our last column was focused on the multifarious use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the United States.
February 15, 2020
Using the right to information to improve the country
How has the global use of Right to Information (RTI) laws brought about important new developments and catalysed change? The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regime in the US is the perfect example to illustrate this story.
January 15, 2020
Engaging citizens to use the RTI law
Those who read this column regularly are aware of its two recurring themes.
December 15, 2019
Law needs RTI-defenders
The global excitement about Right to Information (RTI) appears to be on the wane. Instead of facilitating citizens’ role to monitor public work by accessing official documents, governments are resorting to procedural and other hurdles to curtail the reach of the law.
November 15, 2019
RTI law: Bridging the gap between promise and practice
The euphoria accompanying the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War era late last century was followed by an upsurge of democracy in the new republics and a resurgence in nominal democracies.
October 15, 2019
The growing maturity of RTI use in Bangladesh
Last month, the International Right to Know Day was an occasion for the champions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act in Bangladesh to show how the law helps to strengthen democracy and advance good governance.
September 28, 2019
Time to move up the ladder to maximise RTI effects
The United Nations observes September 28 as the International Day for Universal Access to Information, informally known as the International Right to Know Day. It is one of the 165 annual international days declared by the UN to raise public awareness about
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