According to the constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, all powers of the republic belong to the people. However, most of the citizens are unaware of their rights and available public resources, including their right to information. To help address this issue, on 2009, the Right to Information Act (RTI) was introduced to establish the ownership of the constitution amongst the people. Platforms for Dialogue (P4D), a European Union-funded project in partnership with the Cabinet Division and implemented by the British Council, is promoting a variety of mechanisms, including the RTI, to improve government accountability and increase citizen participation in decision making.
Recently, to celebrate the UNESCO designated International Day for the Universal Access to Information, P4D promoted citizens’ right to information and government services by successfully hosting events across all 21 project districts. To mark the Right to Information Day, P4D coordinated with 63 civil society partners, Multi-Actor Partner groups (MAPs), local NGOs and government agencies to organise various community events to promote the RTI. P4D supported local partners to host rallies, discussion forums, cultural events, quiz contests and awareness-raising workshops. The one-day event boasted over 6,300 participants across the country, nearly half of whom were women. To date, this was one of the project’s largest coordinated community and volunteer-led events.
According to a recent study from Professor Afsan Chowdhury, BRAC University, ‘Three out of four people are unaware of RTI, and only one in 20 have seen RTI in operation.’ To improve these staggering statistics, P4D’s events were designed to inform local citizens of the Right to Information Act 2009 and provided practical and relevant information on ‘how to’ obtain information from any service providing agency.
Educating the public on the RTI is important because information bridges the gap between government service agencies and citizens in need of their services. Information is power, and accurate and timely access to information enables citizens to make informed decisions about their own lives. One MAP member, Md. Tazul Islam from Munshiganj district said, “This event really helped me a lot to know more about RTI act and its usages. I got to know how to collect information properly by using this act. This will indeed help me to get useful information.”
Another attendee, co-organising secretary, Rubel Ukil, of Ulpur Jubo Kallan Porishad, Gopalganj, stated, “this is the first time RTI day is being observed with our leadership. While observing the day we got the opportunity to come close with Government officials, Union Parishad representatives, Journalists, community people, NGOs and other stakeholders. From the speech of different government officials, we got to know how RTI Act can help us to curb corruption.”
With a more informed and proactive public, local authorities will not only be motivated to improve their accountability and transparency, but informed communities can collectively improve their wellbeing. In addition to promoting the RTI, P4D is also working to promote the Citizen’s Charter, the Grievance Redress System, and the National Integrity Strategy across all project districts.