{"id":145087,"date":"2015-05-24T12:43:59","date_gmt":"2015-05-24T07:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=145087"},"modified":"2015-06-01T00:49:23","modified_gmt":"2015-05-31T19:19:23","slug":"rti-exclusion-of-private-sector-ngos-crucial-restrictions-untenable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/rti-exclusion-of-private-sector-ngos-crucial-restrictions-untenable\/","title":{"rendered":"RTI: Exclusion Of Private Sector, NGOs & Crucial Restrictions – Untenable"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Amrit Muttukumaru<\/span><\/a> –<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Amrit<\/a>

Amrit Muttukumaru<\/p><\/div>\n

Draft \u2018Right to Information\u2019 \u2013 Farcical? Exclusion of Private Sector, NGOs & Crucial Restrictions – Untenable<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The very fact the Draft \u2018Right to Information<\/span><\/a>\u2019 is not \u2018officially\u2019 available in the public domain questions its bona fides.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To postulate that it was formulated in some measure of secrecy may not be far from the truth. It would appear that the only major \u2018outside\u2019 input solicited by its framers was from large Colombo based NGOs \u2013 most of them close to the current Wickremesinghe led political dispensation.<\/p>\n

To place matters in perspective, it\u2019s a fair assumption that any initiative for a RTI in any form would have been frowned upon by the previous Rajapaksa administration. However, this does not give the license to the current administration which was elected to office to fulfill the aspirations of the people for a democratic, corruption free and transparent administration to ride roughshod on its version of RTI.<\/p>\n

THE PUBLIC INTEREST IS THE SINE QUA NON FOR ANY RTI.<\/p>\n

Politicization<\/strong><\/p>\n

From what is gleaned from the media\/websites, could we not conclude that the proposed RTI is farcical? Our legislators apparently have a predilection to muck up even laudable objectives such as RTI mainly due to their \u2018self-serving\u2019 interests leading to politicization. This cuts across party lines. For example, is it not plausible that the exemption of the Private Sector from RTI could be rooted in political party funding?<\/p>\n

\"Weliamuna<\/a>Another example is making a mess of the highly desirable \u2018Financial Crimes Investigations Division\u2019 by its crass politicization. As Mr. Kusal Perera inter alia notes in his piece<\/span><\/a> in the Colombo Telegraph<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWickremesinghe government is clearly politicking with investigations. The gazette notification in establishing the FCID contradicts the very concept of independent commissions promised during the past 02 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another glaring example is the much publicized \u2018Weliamuna Report\u2019 on Sri Lankan Airlines. Mr. Weliamuna is closely identified with the top UNP leadership led by Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe. He is Chairman of Transparency International Sri Lanka!<\/p>\n

It is becoming clearer by the day that those concerned in top management rapped for alleged corruption and abuse of power will go scot-free. This is because it is highly unlikely (almost impossible) that the long standing auditors – Ernst & Young<\/span><\/a> and then high profile directors will ever be held accountable for any dereliction of duty. From all indications, Weliamuna and his team have let them off the hook! It now transpires that Mr. Chandra Jayaratne \u2013 key member of the \u2018Friday Forum\u2019 and a former Director of TISL was part of this team. He has not denied this.<\/p>\n

Application of RTI<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is discernible that RTI will only apply to \u201cPublic Authorities\u201d at all levels established by the State \u2013 Central, Provincial, Local and Statutory bodies. This will presumably cover regulatory bodies such as the SEC and ICASL. It will ostensibly also apply to \u2018companies\u2019 in which the government holds \u2018majority\u2019 shares. A serious flaw is that it leaves out the Private sector and NGOs.<\/p>\n

Is there not a case to also include professional firms such as those engaged in audit and legal services which impinge on \u2018Public Interest\u2019?<\/p>\n

There is no rational basis to leave out the corporate and NGO sectors since they regularly engage with the \u2018public\u2019 for their \u2018sustenance\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Private Sector (\u2018quoted\u2019 & \u2018unquoted\u2019) is increasingly involved in providing services vital to the community at a profit which includes \u2013 education, health, transport, communication, power & energy, infrastructure and plantations on state owned lands.<\/p>\n

It is wholly untenable to maintain that NGOs are only accountable to their donors. Their accountability should ultimately and crucially be to the people of this country\u00a0since all their efforts are purportedly to alleviate the \u2018miseries\u2019 of its peoples!<\/p>\n

Did not particularly the larger NGOs in the country make a \u2018killing\u2019 in the aftermath of the 2004 \u2018boxing day\u2019 Tsunami that devastated coastal areas?<\/p>\n

I doubt any large NGO in this country having provided on their otherwise elaborate websites:<\/p>\n

\u201cproject based donor information (inclusive of amount and source) together with concomitant expenditure appropriately broken down to also reflect administrative and personnel costs and payments to individuals\u201d!<\/p>\n

It is still not too late for these \u2018social entrepreneurs\u2019 to do so for the millions of US Dollars received from concerned donors worldwide for Tsunami rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

More contemporary projects which need accountability include the whopping RS.250 Million\u00a0foreign funded\u00a0‘Sri Lanka Anti \u2013 Corruption Program’ of which the main local partners were inter-connected NGOs \u2013 Transparency International<\/span><\/a> Sri Lanka, Centre for Policy Alternatives<\/span><\/a> and the Free Media Movement<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Even my mere request for the NAMES OF DIRECTORS in the entities coming under the ‘Sri Lanka Press Institute’ controlled by influential sections of the private media incredibly\u00a0elicited the response:<\/p>\n

\u201cCould you please let me know for what purpose you require this information?\u201d!<\/p>\n

Ref. E-mail of PCCSL (CEO) dated 1 October 2009<\/p>\n

Arbitrary Restrictions<\/strong><\/p>\n

The restrictions preventing disclosure \u2013 some of them ridiculous, for all practical purposes nullify the raison d’\u00eatre for RTI.<\/p>\n

These include \u2013 safeguarding (i) \u201cmorals\u201d (ii) \u201creputation\u201d (iii) \u201cinformation\u201d received in \u201cconfidence\u201d<\/p>\n

Can anything be more absurd?<\/p>\n

Who is to define \u201cmorals\u201d and how does it override \u2018public interest\u2019? Why should the \u201creputation\u201d of a person who is proven to have done something inimical to the \u2018public interest\u2019 be protected? What is the point in receiving \u201cinformation\u201d in \u201cconfidence\u201d if it cannot be used in the \u2018public interest\u2019?<\/p>\n

Grounds for \u201cParliamentary Privilege\u201d and \u201ccontempt of court\u201d to prevent disclosure need to be examined due to their potential to even circumscribe RTI\u2019s sole application to \u201cPublic Authorities\u201d.
\nConclusion<\/p>\n

I REST MY CASE THAT THERE ARE NO RATIONAL GROUNDS TO EXCLUDE THE PRIVATE SECTOR (\u2018QUOTED\u2019 & \u2018UNQUOTED\u2019) AND NGOs FROM THE RTI.<\/p>\n

THE UNWARRANTED RESTRICTIONS WHICH NULLIFY THE EFFICACY OF THE RTI SHOULD BE WITHDRAWN FORTHWITH.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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