Info commissioner busts freedom myth

Dhaka, June 18 (bdnews24.com) ? Information commissioner Sadeka Halim has expressed her reservations on the actual freedom enjoyed by the Information Commission ? formed to implement the Right to Information Act.

"The Information Commission is said to be independent. But the commission has to work in tandem with the public administration ministry, information ministry and the finance ministry. So, it is an issue of scrutiny how much it is independent," she said.

Sadeka was addressing an experience exchange meeting, titled "Implementation of the Right to Information Act: Experiences of the Journalists", organised jointly by World Bank Institute (WBI) and Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) at a hotel in the city's Karwan Bazar.

In such a situation, she remarked, proper steps should be taken to create scope for the commission to work freely and to implement the Right to Information Act.

Sadeka said that the commission was not functioning properly, as it was operating with only a fourth of the manpower it needed.

She said most of the complaints came from the union council and upazila levels. However, they could not go to those areas for want of vehicles in proper shape.

The information commissioner claimed that they had so far disposed of 33 complaints, two complaints were underway and the commission would take 22 more complaints in its cognizance for disposal.

Addressing the discussion, Farid Hossain, Bangladesh bureau chief of the AP news agency, said the Right to Information Act was not only for journalists, but also for the people at large. He alleged that the act was not of much use in day-to-day journalistic activities, as it took long time to provide information. "However, the act is effective in investigative journalism."

The AP man said the implementation of the act was in primary level, although it was passed two years ago. He also claimed that the people were unaware of the act in most of the areas.

Information affairs secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamun said that some 10,000 information officers were recruited in different government and non-government organisations of the country to implement the act. "But the officers are not discharging their duties properly as they are not given any honorarium for additional work."

Chaired by editor-in-chief and chief executive officer of Boishakhi TV Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, the discussion was addressed, among others, by news editor of English national The Daily Star Ziaul Haq Swapan, director (governance) of Manusher Jonno Foundation Farzana Naim and executive director of MRDI Hasibur Rahman Mukur.

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