Right to Information and Good Governance: Linkages and Challenges

“Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and … the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated.”
- UN General Assembly Resolution 59(I), 1946 –

In this article I explore the symbiotic relationship between good governance, democracy and the Right to Information. The Right to Information is, I argue, a fundamental tenet of democracy. Across the world, the public is demanding more information from the government to understand the reasoning behind its policymaking and decisions taken on their behalf. Governments are lagging behind in providing this information. Recognising that a culture of withholding information leads to corruption and all manner of other malpractices that undermine democratic governance, I make the case for the Right to Information in Sri Lanka as well.

While recognising the need for an overarching legislative framework to facilitate the Right to Information, I end with the point that at the end of the day, with or without such laws, the responsibility for transparency and accountability in government lies with its public officials, who in turn need redouble their efforts to provide information, in a timely and accurate manner, to the public, in order to strengthen good governance and democracy in a country where both are in short supply.

The article in full, in Sinhala, is available here.