Sri Lanka has reached third best place in the RTI global ranking. Mexico and Serbia are in the first and second places.

By R.Sampanthan.

Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member.

We are debating an important Bill, the Right to Information Bill in the House today. This Bill should have been brought to Parliament a long time ago, but unfortunately, that did not happen. The Right to Information Law has been passed in many countries world over and is considered as a very important piece of legislation. I am happy, Sir, to speak a few words when this Bill is being debated in our Parliament.

Sri Lanka’s Right to Information (RTI) global rating has jumped from 9th to 3rd place with the recent gazetting of the RTI Commission’s Rules on Fees and Appeals as well as the Regulations under the Act.

The Supreme Court has apprised the Parliament some sections of the Right to Information bill are not consistent with the constitution thus it needs a two third majority, the Speaker announced today.

Sri Lanka’s Right to Information (RTI) Act came into effect from 3 February 2017. Right to Information has been a decades long struggle spearheaded by press freedom organisations in the country.

(SLB) Last week Supreme Court of Sri Lanka heard number of cases filed in relation to the Sri Lanka’s Right to Information Bill which has been tabled in the parliament. Earlier 3 petitions were filed against the bill on the ground that right to information will jeopardise the national security. In response to those petitions leading civil society activists filled petitions in defense of the bill.

The Right to Information that has been much hyped by the leaders of the Yahapalanaya government in the recent past seems to be one of the main issues not or less understood by the same leaders and the officials under them. Some bigwigs arrogantly scorn at and ridicule the media men in public when the latter question them about important matters involving public interest. They justify the recent assault on a journalist by the Navy Commander citing ethical and legal grounds. Now the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundera has imposed some sort of ban on the private media.

Attempts to put operations of Sri Lanka’s central bank out of the ambit of a draft ‘Right to Information’ bill are wrong and will deny economic democracy to the people, a top economist and former central banker has said.

The Constitutional Council has recommended Prof. Savithri Goonasekera, attorney-at-law Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, former judge Salim Marsoof, former Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry Secretary Neil Rupasinghe and Prof. N. Sivakumaran as members of the proposed Right to Information (RTI) Commission, and awaits presidents approval says the Island.

By Chandani Kirinde.

The long-awaited Right to Information (RTI) Bill that seeks to give every Sri Lankan the right of access to information which is in the possession, custody or control of a public authority was presented to Parliament on Thursday by Minister of Parliamentary Reforms and Media Gayantha Karunatillake.