‘Mindset needs change for RTI Act to work’

“We are maintaining a legacy inherited from British colonial rule, where hiding of information was part of the culture. This has become a curse in society, for which we are responsible at the same time,” the information commissioner said. He made the statement while attending a discussion as a chief guest, held at the capital’s Daily Star Bhaban in the morning. The discussion was entitled “Sharing of Assessment Findings: How the Bangladeshi media use the RTI for Free and Qualitative Reporting,” organised by the Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI). Syed Ishtiaque Reza, news director of Ekattor TV, moderated the discussion. In a long speech, Dr Golam Rahman called for changes to dispel this colonial hangover, as it leads to a lack of transparency and accountability. He said: “I am questioned as to whether the law approved in 2009 can be realistically implemented in the country, whether we can accept this law culturally, socially and politically. “Under this law, all information of the administration is open to the public. Every piece of information demonstrates accountability. If we do not understand the philosophical entity of this law, we cannot apply the law accurately.” He expressed wonder at how people know little about the act, even after its adoption in 2009. “Simple matters do not stay simple. Our government officials think that they work for the government and do not need to provide information to others. They do not understand that they work for the people. “This mindset should be changed and societal effort is needed to change this.” Nowadays the commission receives more complaints than the previous, he added. Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, presented the keynote paper before the discussion, in which he said: “The use of the RTI Act for journalism is rather low.” The paper identified delays to receiving the desired information and fear of deteriorating relationship with officials as the main challenges. Dhaka University Mass Communication and Journalism Professor Mofizur Rahman, Switzerland Ambassador Christian Fotsch and MRID Executive Director Hasibur Rahman spoke at the discussion, among many other media professionals.