With most public and private offices running without arrangements for responding to people’s queries a key element of a 2009 act Bangladesh joins a global bandwagon of 94 countries observing the World Right to Information Day today.
The Bangladesh government enacted the Right to Information Act in 2009 that asked all government and non-government organisations to appoint designated officers to provide information to people.
But still many organisations have not appointed any such officers.
According to the Right to Information Act-2009, within 60 days after commencement of this act all authorities existing prior to such commencement shall appoint a designated officer for each of the units for providing information.
If the right to information of the people is ensured, the transparency and accountability of all public, autonomous and statutory organisations and of other private institutions constituted or run by government or foreign financing shall increase, corruption of the same shall decrease and good governance of the same shall be established, the act said.
A senior official of the Information Commission said around 15,000 designated officers hadso far been appointed tothe government and non-government offices.
The official,however, admitted that many offices had not yet appointed the designated officers for providing information.
“We have not taken strong measures as the Right to Information act is a new law,” Chief Information Commissioner Mohammad Faruk told the Dhaka Tribune over phone on Friday.
He observed if harsh measures were taken the law might not work.
The chief commissioner, however, said letters had been sent to the offices to appoint the officers and the number is rising.
On the occasion,Bangladesh will organise rallies and discussions highlighting the significance of the right to information.
India passed the right to information act in 2005, a little ahead of Bangladesh, the chief information commissioner said.
Suraiya Begum, an assistant director of Research Initiatives, Bangladesh, recently at a training programme on the act alleged that officers at many government and non-government offices were reluctant to give information.
She said common as well as many educated people are still unaware about the existence of the right to information act and its benefits.
Lack of public awareness and the reluctance of the media to use the law for professional purposes were identified as the challenges by the information commission in its annual report for 2012.
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu recently tabled the annual report in parliament.
Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, people submitted a total of 16,475 applications 13,921 to the government wings and 2,554 to the NGOs for information, according to the report.
Of the total, the 15,799 applicants had their requests entertained, the report said. Over 4% (676) of the applications for information were in process.
