Shamsul Bari

In the last few months, we have received some very encouraging feedback from users of the RTI law about the Information Commission's work.

Bangladesh’s High Court has asked the authorities of a public university to allow pregnant and married female students to remain in the dormitories for the time being

Through the RTI Commission of Sri Lanka, citizens could weight in on matters impacting the nation.

The experiences of Sri Lanka and Pakistan are lessons for everyone concerned with promoting the right to information.

Indications of the growing maturity of RTI Act users and the increasing willingness of public officials to abide by its provisions are indeed welcome developments.

To the tremendous potential of the RTI Act, there are a handful of RTI activists and enthusiasts in Bangladesh who persevere to take the law forward with their zeal and determination.

In a country with such a politically-oriented population, why has RTI not caught on?

Can public officials ever become transparent in their work and feel accountable to citizens?

Citizens’ right to monitor, probe and question the work of their governments is essential for democracy.

The Sri Lankan example can spur us to greater and more transformative use of the RTI Act in our country.

The first case was brought to our attention by RTI activists promoting the law at the grassroots level in Bangladesh.

Seeking information is not only a right of citizens, but also a civic duty.

Unless there is a drastic change in the mentality and attitudes of citizens and public officials alike about the new reality, RTI cannot flourish.

Two laws form the basis for citizens to affect governance.

To obtain the full potentials of the law, we must go beyond such perfunctory rituals and focus more on strategies to go ahead.

Sri Lanka has been shaken by a socioeconomic and political crisis that has drawn international attention.

As authoritarianism creeps in across the world, the ideals of participatory democracy and representative governance have taken a back seat once again in many countries.

Today, we turn away from the positive and encouraging side of the Right to Information movement in Bangladesh, depicted in our previous column (The Daily Star, April 16, 2022), to peer into the shadows.

Today, we present tales that have been gathered from ordinary Bangladeshis.

The Information Commission of Bangladesh delivered a much-awaited decision on March 8, 2022, and a much-needed shot in the arm of the right to information (RTI) regime in Bangladesh.