The UNP will urge Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa on Tuesday to include in the Order Book of Parliament the Right to Information (RTI) draft Bill that was handed over to the Secretary General (SG) of Parliament recently.
Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga said he has handed over the Bill to the SG last month but there has been a delay in placing it on the Order Book of Parliament. “When Parliament meets on Tuesday, I will meet the Speaker and ask him why there is such a delay on such an important matter,” Mr. Amaratunga told the Sunday Times.
The UNP first presented a Private Members Bill titled “Freedom of Information” in September 2010 which was based on the draft approved by the Cabinet of the then UNP government in January 2003.
The then Deputy Leader of the UNP and Gampaha District MP Karu Jayasuriya presented the Bill to Parliament in September 2010 but it was withdrawn after assurances from the Chief Government Whip Minister Dinesh Gunawardena that a similar Government Bill was in the pipeline and would be presented shortly.
A second attempt was made by MP Jayasuriya to present the Bill in June 2011 and on this occasion, the matter was put to the vote due to opposition from the Government and was defeated with 32 for and 99 against.
Mr. Amaratunga said he believes the Government is not interested in passing a RTI Bill and is attempting to stall the UNP’s attempts to pass the Bill in Parliament. “The Government's intention is to suppress and control vital information from reaching the public.This is why it opposes this Bill,” he charged.
The need for RTI legislation has been highlighted in the recommendations and observations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report as well.
“Freedom of expression and right to information, which are universally regarded as basic human rights play a pivotal role in any reconciliation process. It is therefore essential that media freedom be enhanced in keeping with democratic principles and relevant fundamental rights obligations,” the Report said.
It added that legislation should be enacted to ensure the right to information. |
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