Greater transparency: Advocating stronger right to information laws

Experts suggest enhancing ombudsmen’s mandate for greater accountability.

ISLAMABAD:

There is a need to enhance the mandate of the ombudsmen and strengthen right to information (RTI) laws at the federal level.

These demands were made by participants of a discussion on the “Federal Right to Information Bill 2013 and Role of Ombudsmen” on Thursday.

Federal Ombudsman Adviser Hafiz Ahsan Ahmad Khokhar suggested the enhancement of the mandate and powers of ombudsmen and an increased awareness among the public about using RTI for greater transparency and accountability.

He added that the federal RTI bill should clearly define the functions of the ombudsmen.

Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) Coordination and Outreach Manager Waseem Hashmi said that the federal RTI bill needs to be strengthened in line with RTI laws in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

He cited a recent rating of the federal RTI bill conducted by international experts, where it scored just 63 points out of 150.

This is less than the 66 points scored by the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002. The draft act
ranked 83rd among the 95 countries which have RTI legislation.

Aside from allocating more powers to the ombudsman, the participants suggested that laws on RTI should be made based on best practices from around the world, making RTI the cornerstone for democracy and better governance.

There is a need to add provisions to compel public bodies to maintain records and issue annual reports, greater disclosure of information and legal protection to whistleblowers exposing corruption in the hopes that justice would be served.

The parliament and presidency should also be included in the list of public bodies responsible to provide information, the participants added.

The discussion was attended by key stakeholders including public representatives, civil society organisations, representatives of donor agencies and media persons. The event was organised by CRCP.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st, 2014.