Ruhi Naz

How do our neighbours use the RTI law?

We can learn from how other countries in this region benefit from the law.

2w ago

RTI Act is on life support

Right to Information (RTI) Act in Bangladesh is in danger.

1m ago

Appoint missing commissioners to keep RTI Act alive

There appears to be a shift in the attitude of many public authorities towards the RTI Act.

2m ago

Right to information is meaningless without information commissioners

Delay in reconstituting the Information Commission is hindering transparency and accountability.

4m ago

We need a ‘public interest override’ in the RTI Act

Public interest should be the yardstick when balancing citizens' right to information concerning governance and state need to safeguard sensitive information.

5m ago

Time to put the RTI Act on the right track

The success of the RTI Act anywhere in the world largely depends on the determination and commitment of the citizens to put it to practical use.

6m ago

101 of the RTI Act for Bangladesh's youth activists

Bangladesh's RTI law is the best law to utilise in making a new Bangladesh where people's power reigns supreme in the true sense of the term.

7m ago

Right to information: Time for the sunshine law

Now is the opportunity for our youth to lead us in using existing laws to build a better country.

8m ago
August 14, 2022
August 14, 2022

The Sri Lankan crisis spiked intense RTI activity

Sri Lanka has been shaken by a socioeconomic and political crisis that has drawn international attention.

June 15, 2022
June 15, 2022

Right to information in the age of authoritarianism

As authoritarianism creeps in across the world, the ideals of participatory democracy and representative governance have taken a back seat once again in many countries.

May 15, 2022
May 15, 2022

The darker side of RTI in Bangladesh

Today, we turn away from the positive and encouraging side of the Right to Information movement in Bangladesh, depicted in our previous column (The Daily Star, April 16, 2022), to peer into the shadows.

April 16, 2022
April 16, 2022

Untold tales of RTI successes

Today, we present tales that have been gathered from ordinary Bangladeshis.

March 15, 2022
March 15, 2022

People's right to know v. Official secrecy: Can the former triumph?

The Information Commission of Bangladesh delivered a much-awaited decision on March 8, 2022, and a much-needed shot in the arm of the right to information (RTI) regime in Bangladesh.

February 15, 2022
February 15, 2022

Let’s not consign our RTI law to cold storage

The title of our column today is inspired by an editorial in Prothom Alo, a popular Bangla national daily in Bangladesh, published on February 5, 2022.

January 15, 2022
January 15, 2022

RTI can contribute to government accountability

Efforts to limit the ruler’s authority over the ruled is as old as human history. It is a subject that has occupied the minds of social thinkers and philosophers of all major civilisations since ancient times.

December 19, 2021
December 19, 2021

The RTI Act works

The importance of a robust Right to Information (RTI) regime for a healthy and vibrant democracy is universally recognised.

November 15, 2021
November 15, 2021

Success of the RTI Act relies on an effective Information Commission

The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009 is made of interlocking parts.

October 15, 2021
October 15, 2021

Active citizenship is also key to the success of RTI

Last month marked the International Right to Know Day. From the few seminars and webinars arranged on the occasion, it was evident that even 12 years after the Right to Information (RTI) Act was enacted in Bangladesh, we are still largely preoccupied with how to spread awareness about the law.