Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has demanded the immediate formation of an independent Information Commission.
In a statement issued on Saturday on the occasion of “International Right to Know Day”, TIB stated that the Information Commission has not been formed for over a year and one month, which has contributed to the erosion of public trust in the government.
The statement went on to say that the absence of the Information Commission for a long time has hindered the process of ensuring government transparency, resulting in the protection of secrecy of government information and obstructing the free flow of information.
Furthermore, necessary steps must be taken to make the Commission an effective and independent institution, including required amendments to the Right to Information Act, 2009, it read.
TIB’s Executive Director, Iftekharuzzaman, said, “Although the government has taken various reform initiatives, it has not taken any steps to reform the Information Commission and the necessary amendments to the Right to Information Act. Civil society has also repeatedly recommended this to the government, but no effective initiative has been taken from the government’s side.”
He further said, “The government’s indifference in protecting the people’s right to information is a major failure, which has led to a tendency to withhold information in various government departments and a culture of not disclosing information proactively.”
TIB has proposed its 15-point recommendations to the government, including: Modernising the Right to Information Act, bringing political parties and privately-owned institutions under the purview of this law, and expanding the use of digital tools to establish transparency and accountability in the public and private sectors.
Additionally, TIB has demanded that the Election Commission ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral system by publishing the income and expenditure details of political parties on their websites.
