The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE International Right to Information Day is celebrated annually in Bangladesh. But the observation of the day turns out to be reminder that the country still does not have a law enacted to guarantee access to this right. Although the press is by and large free they are sometimes barred by the Official Secrets Act of the British period from enjoying this right. Thus, it was very heartening to note that the incumbent interim government has taken steps for the introduction of a law. This was disclosed by the Law and Information Adviser in a function which he addressed recently. But at the same breath he warned that the government can only promulgate such a law. It would be up to the next elected Parliament to approve this Act to be able to sustain it. As it happened, lawmakers in previous parliaments showed no interest to prepare and adopt such a law as the same could go against their own vested interests. Thus, all challenges to the sustainability of the said law would remain. The civil society, the media and other opinion makers in the society must gird up their loins and endeavour to ensure the retention of this vital piece of legislation which is about to be enacted for the benefit of the people.

Democracy cannot be considered fully functioning or the ways to good governance will not be secured as long as this important law is not made operational. A fundamental aspiration of a democratic system, anywhere, ought to be the providing of good governance. But good governance is possible when governmental activities can be subjected to scrutiny or transparency. Right to information is indispensable to provide assured access to information that can lead to applying pressure on the government or ruling party potentates for their corruption, abuse of power, tyrannies and other objectionable activities that do not help the attainment of good governance. In the process, people's interests or their democratic interests are served. On the other hand, the right to information and its benefits are conceivable only where democracy or democratic institutions have taken firm roots.

Ironically, the right to information was denied expressly by those who were so vocal about it during the autocratic governance of the country. Several assessments including a major foreign-sponsored one laid deep focus on grave disregard for freedom of press and right to information under ruling political parties since the decade of the nineties. In other cases, pressmen were brutally assaulted by members of the underworld for reporting bravely on criminal activities. At present, as the country lacks a right to information law which is synonymous with press freedom, the present interim government is seen to be moving with all sincerity to promulgate such a law. But as pointed out by the adviser concerned, the people will have to struggle further to ensure that this law is not discarded when an elected government takes over.