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 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.
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.
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.”
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 are reported to be receiving serious attention from the government and civil society in Bangladesh.
This beautiful rhyme by poet Jotindra Mohan Bagchi famously captures the Bengali sentiment for bokul phul, a very small sweet-smelling white flower.
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.
Arunendu works for the Rangamati Hill District Council in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh. He is known for his dedication and commitment to public service.
A year ago today, the world celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A small part of that history is my personal history...
Afrequently asked question about RTI law relates to the meaning of the term “authority”. As the Act empowers citizens to query public authorities on matters that concern or aggrieve them, there is an obvious need to understand the concept of authority under the Act.
