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
October 16, 2017
Bangladesh's neighbours must find a durable solution
Each refugee exodus looks different—in the numbers of human beings and the duration of their journey, in the acts of violence and atrocity, in the intensity of human suffering.
October 15, 2017
RTI Act: Are users getting smarter?
The use of RTI to seek redress for personal grievances is equally popular. RTI has been used by students appearing in various public service examinations to find out if they were fairly treated by the examiners. Whether the desired information is received or not, the applications alone help alert the authorities that their performance is being watched by citizens.
September 15, 2017
Putting people at the heart of development
Later this month, the world will mark the International Day for Universal Access to Information, hitherto known as International Right to Know Day.
August 13, 2017
Disclosure laws should be on citizens' agenda for the next elections
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's removal from office was the subject of much attention in Bangladesh and elsewhere. But buried within the story about political turmoil and the future of civilian rule in Pakistan was a story about leaked information and disclosure of assets.
July 15, 2017
Eight years old - How is the Right to Information Act faring?
"The freedom of a nation cannot be upheld by laws alone, but also by the light of the nation and knowledge of their use." These words by Anders Chydenius, a Swedish enlightenment thinker and politician of the eighteenth century, had set the ball rolling for the adoption of world's first freedom of information law in Sweden and Finland in 1766. Since then around 115 countries/territories have enacted similar transparency laws.
May 15, 2017
A new breed of truth seekers
There is a new breed of fans in South Asia: fans of the Right to Information (RTI) laws in our region. These are passionate, almost fanatical, RTI activists.
April 13, 2017
Promoting “open government” through the RTI Act
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when adults are afraid of the light.”
March 15, 2017
An accountable government can realise the SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 are reported to be receiving serious attention from the government and civil society in Bangladesh.
February 15, 2017
Right to Information and the story of a Bokul tree
This beautiful rhyme by poet Jotindra Mohan Bagchi famously captures the Bengali sentiment for bokul phul, a very small sweet-smelling white flower.
November 23, 2016
On protecting refugees from Myanmar
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in September 2016, our Prime Minister spoke of the need to protect the rights of refugees and migrants globally and urged that the world must reach a consensus on shared responsibility and inclusiveness to address the crisis.
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