தகவல் அறியும் சட்டமூலம் திருத்தங்களுடன் வாக்கெடுப்பின்றி பாராளுமன்றில் இன்று நிறைவேற்றப்பட்டுள்ளது. தகவல் அறியும் சட்டமூலம் தொடர்பான பாராளுமன்ற வாதப்பிரதிவாதங்கள் இன்று இரண்டாவது நாளாக இடம்பெற்றது.
தகவல்களை அறிந்து கொள்ளும் உரிமையை உறுதிப்படுத்துவதற்காக குறித்த சட்டமூலம் சமர்பிக்கப்படுவதாக ஆளும்தரப்பில் நேற்று பாராளுமன்றில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.
எனினும் இந்த சட்டமூலம் ஊடாக, ஊடகவியலாளர்கள் தகவல்களை பெற்றுக் கொள்ளும் வழிகள் அடைக்கப்படுவதாக எதிர்க்கட்சி உறுப்பினர்கள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.
தகவல் அறியும் உரிமைச்சட்ட மூலம் ஆளும் தரப்பு பிரதம கொரடாவும் ஊடகத்துறை பாராளுமன்ற விவகார அமைச்சருமான கயந்த கருணாதிலகவினால் முதலாவது வாசிப்புக்காக கடந்த மார்ச் மாதத்தில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்பட்டது.
The Bill entitled “Right to Information” was passed with amendments in Parliament today (June 24th).
It was presented to Parliament on the 24th of March 2016 by the Hon. Minister of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media. The Second Reading Debate which commenced yesterday was continued today. The main purpose of the Bill is to provide for the Right of Access to Information, to specify grounds on which access may be denied, to establish the Right to Information commission, to appoint Information Officers and to set out the procedure and for matters connected with it. It is expected to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public authorities by giving effect to the right of access to information and thereby promote a society in which the people of Sri Lanka would be able to more fully participate in public life through combating corruption and promoting accountability and good governance.
It shall be the responsibility of the Ministry of the Mass Media to ensure the effective implementation of the Act. Subject to the provisions of section 5 of this Act, every citizen shall have a right of access to information which is in the possession, custody or control of a public authority. A request for access to information shall be refused under following circumstances:
Information related to personal information devoid of any public interest , defence matters of the state, confidential details on international agreements, information which might harm the economy of Sri Lanka, trade secrets, medical records, communication between a professional and a public authority which is not permitted to be disclosed, information which might hamper detection of any crime, information which would be in contempt of court, information that would infringe the privileges of Parliament and information which may be harmful to the integrity of an examination conducted by the Department of Examination, etc. Ministries, departments, public corporations, local authorities, non-governmental organisations that are substantially funded by the government, higher educational institutions, courts and tribunals etc. should provide access to information and shall maintain records. They must also endeavour to preserve all records in electronic format.
A body called the “Right to Information Commission” will be established. The Commission shall consist of five (5) persons appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. One person each will be nominated by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, organisations of publishers, editors and media persons and other civil society organisations. The persons who are distinguished in public life with proven knowledge, experience and eminence in law, governance, public administration, management etc. will be appointed to this Commission. The Commission shall monitor the performance of public authorities and information officers.
Every public authority should appoint information officers. They shall deal with requests for information. Any citizen who is desirous of obtaining any information shall make a request in writing to the appropriate information officer. An information officer shall as soon as possible, make a decision either to provide the information requested or to reject the request. Where a request is refused, the information officer must inform the citizen who made the request, the grounds on which the request is refused. Any citizen who is dissatisfied with a decision of an information officer is entitled to appeal to the Commission. A citizen or public authority who is aggrieved by the Commission may appeal against such decision to the Court of Appeal.
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