Editorial
Making right to information law work
A plan of action is needed
The conference on Right to Information: Law, Institution and Citizens has ended on a resolute note. Rightly so, on the eve of the Right to Information Act taking effect, when all the stakeholders need to be fully committal to the task of implementation of a right considered key to other democratic rights.
The conference saw a blend of national and international inputs; in effect, a cross-fertilisation of ideas based on study and experience fostering an understanding of the issues involved as we approach the huge task of implementing the right to information law.
True, in our case right to information is taking a top-down route rather than a bottom-up one. But that is not wholly disadvantageous for us. For, when a change in mindset is required to curb the deep-seated culture of secrecy, we are obviously looking for it to happen at the top to send the right tenor down to the bottom. Indeed, a sea change has to take place in terms of attitude at the ministries, government departments, directorates, divisional and district headquarters and sector corporations where withholding information from public has been the customary practice. It is done as a matter of prerogative, convenience and hiding malpractice or misdeed, little realising that free flow of information can help them improve service delivery and governance thereby befriending the people and securing their cooperation in due discharge of their duties.
Thus, from what is now a power with the government functionaries, we are aiming to see it as a powerful tool in the hands of the people to curb corruption and alleviate their poverty.
Of the institutional preparations that are imperative, the setting up of an independent information commission as an over-arching executing agency, important that it is, we need to strengthen the local government institutions. This is to instill awareness at the grassroots to generate demands for information and sensitise the people about their right to information, the channels they need to use and the procedures they ought to follow in order to secure information.
The initiative can be linked to creation of a digital Bangladesh. All the potential windows for dissemination of information should be flung open with IT technology reaching out to the union levels. Different kinds of forms to secure service, and information about purchase tenders, procurement decisions etc can be placed on websites. Data and statistics on fund allocation including subsidies to local projects, expenditure details and physical targets met can be similarly transmitted to people. In one word, each office should have a concrete time-bound plan of action for manual documentation and filing and electronic preservation of information together with a designated spokesman to release these on demand.
The attitudinal change and official preparations in the top half should tie up with arrangements at the grassroots upwards to the level of upazilas for rapid and effective implementation of the Right to Information Act.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments