A Submission – The Right To Information Bill 2015
By Chandra Jayaratne -March 16, 2015
Chandra Jayaratne
Karu Jayasuriya Esq.
Minister of Democratic Governance,
Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils,
Local Government, and Democratic Governance,
Independence Square,
Colombo 7.
Dear Mr. Minister,
A Submission Re; the Right to Information Bill 2015
I recognize with a cheer, the commitment with which the new government, led by the recently elected President, is moving towards enacting a Right to Information Act (RTIA). This enactment will meet a long felt rights based democratic governance need in Sri Lanka. I also recognize your personal initiatives, in networking with civil society, during the process of enactment and thank you for the opportunity given to make a submission.
I would be grateful, if the Cabinet Sub Committee and their advisors supporting the finalization of the draft of the Right to Information Act, will kindly review the local context in which the enactment will be implemented, especially bearing in mind the;
- General level of Capability
- The Cultural and attitudinal limitations
- Work cultures, practices and follow up procedures, leadership commitments and resource limitations of public authorities
- The state of development, pro-activeness and independence of media institutions
- The state of development, pro-activeness and commitments of leaders of society, civil society organizations, activists of civil society and the citizens
- The state of development, pro-activeness of public interest litigation in Sri Lanka
I firmly believe that, if the intent of the proposed RTIA is for the majority of the citizens of Sri Lanka to benefit by the use of the provisions of the RTIA, despite the under developed state of their socio-economic, educational and skill levels, in a context where the capability, commitments and resources limitations of the public authorities in Sri Lanka, it is essential that proactive disclosures led affirmative action processes, must be embedded via the same enactment, and be in place, ensuring that these processes are effective in practice within the said public authorities.Read More
