BDRunner Online Sept 28:-
President Md. Sahabuddin said, there is no alternative to ensuring people’s right to information in empowering people, establishing transparency-accountability in government offices, preventing corruption and establishing good governance.
In a message given today on the occasion of ‘International Right to Information Day’ tomorrow, September 28, he said, “I welcome the initiative of celebrating ‘International Right to Information Day-2024’ in Bangladesh like other countries of the world to ensure the free flow of information.”
The President said, ‘Knowing and receiving information is the democratic right of people. Information makes people aware and helps them make right decisions. Article 39 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh guarantees the freedom of thought, conscience and speech of the people. The Right to Information Act-2009 has been enacted to establish the free flow of information and the right to information of the public, which provides a legal basis for the right of the public to access information. I think, through this law, the way to establish good governance along with ensuring transparency and accountability in the activities of government, autonomous and statutory and government and foreign funded private institutions has been facilitated.
He said, “Free, accurate and timely disclosure of information will increase awareness among the people on the one hand; On the other hand, good governance will be ensured, the relationship of trust between the people and the state will be upheld. Free flow of information can play an important role in establishing civil rights by strengthening people’s empowerment over society and state institutions. In this context, I think that this year’s theme of the International Right to Information Day set by UNESCO – ‘Integrating information rights into the mainstream of the state and ensuring the participation of the public sector’ has been accurate and timely.”
The President said that to deliver the benefits of the Right to Information Act to the doorsteps of the people, all government and private departments and organizations including the Information Commission should come forward with a more proactive attitude. For the proper implementation of the law, the participation of all, including public and private institutions, electronic and print media, civil society, is very important to make people aware of the right to information.
He expressed hope that people’s empowerment over society and state institutions will be strengthened by removing existing obstacles in obtaining information through the collective efforts of all.
