RTI to become law in two months

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

The Government hopes to debate and pass the much-awaited Right to Information (RTI) Bill in Parliament within the next two months. It was placed before the House on Thursday (March 24).

All Provincial Councils have approved the RTI Bill, except for the Northern, Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provincial Councils which proposed some minor amendments to the Bill.

"The government hopes to pass this important piece of legislation within the next two months," Deputy Minister of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Karunaratne Paranavithana told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

He said there is a misconception that the RTI is only for the media and journalists. "It is not the case. The RTI Bill is meant to keep all public authorities open to the public.

This Act applies to all public institutions. People could get whatever information they need from public institutions and the officials are obliged to provide such information," he said.

The RTI Bill would also benefit journalists and media institutions. "One of the salient principles of the RTI Bill is that public authorities are obliged to provide information to the media. They can't hide it under the carpet. Whatever information sough by journalists, the government departments are bound to provide it so that the media will be filled with credible news," the Deputy Minister said. The fundamental behind the RTI Bill is that democracy needs open governments. To fulfil this, we need the right to information as a fundamental right. All these principles have been incorporated in this Bill.