SLPI fought from 1988 onward to win RTI - Kumar Lopez
Jan 19, 2017The Sri Lanka Press Institute’s involvement in Sri Lanka's Right to Information struggle has been historical and not limited to advocacy during recent years. In 1998, the Colombo Declaration for Media Freedom and Social Responsibility pioneered by the SLPI focused on the need for RTI. This has been the pivotal point from which the SLPI has been advocating for the RTI Act. The SLPI was represented by Mr Sinha Ratnatunga, present Vice Chairman of Sri Lanka Press Institute, Mr Waruna Karunathilake, who was the Chairman of the College of Journalism as well as the conveyer of the Free Media Movement and Ms Kishali PInto Jayawardena as legal advisor to the Editors Guild on the 2004 Prime Ministerial Committee which was formed to bring about the Right to Information Act of Sri Lanka which was approved by the Cabinet then, but unfortunately was not enacted as the Parliament was dissolved.
During the 2015/2016 drafting process leading to enactment of Law No 12 of 2016, the SLPI was represented by Mr Ratnatunga, Mr Karunatilleke and Ms Pinto-Jayawardena who contributed enormously to the strengthening of the RTI draft. The SLPI, Editors Guild and the Newspaper Society named Ms Pinto-Jayawardena as their sole nominee to the Constitutional Council to be recommended to be appointed to the post of Information Commissioner by the President. We are very happy that the appointment was made as signifying the strong commitment of the SLPI to the ideals and spirit of RTI and look forward to the pro-active implementation of the law which has been ranked as the 9th best law in the world.
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