Kathmandu Post: Kathmandu: Tuesday,
May 03, 2016.
May 3, 2016-
Since the 1991 Declaration of Windhoek, May 3 has been marked as the World
Press Freedom Day to assess the situation of press freedom all around the globe
and to defend its independence. The day also pays tribute to journalists who
have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. Marking this day
gives an opportunity for the media and concerned stakeholders to inform
citizens about the violations against press freedom. The day is also a reminder
of many instances of obstruction to media freedom all around the world. In some
countries, news is censored and journalists are fined and suspended for doing
their job, which is writing the truth. On this day in particular, media,
development organisations including the UN condemn harassment, attacks,
detention and murder against journalists. This day encourages concerned
stakeholders to develop initiatives in support of media freedom and reminds
state agencies of their commitment to press freedom. This year, the day is
being celebrated with the slogan, ‘Access to information and fundamental
freedoms: This is your right’.
Fundamental
right
Freedom of
information is a fundamental freedom and covers the right to seek, receive and
impart information. The right to impart information is an exercise of making
public a piece of information; this is directly related to the notion of press
freedom. Media disseminate information to thousands of dispersed and
heterogeneous people in a fast and reliable manner. The dimension of right to
information contributes to a free press; it is highly significant for the
assurance of other fundamental rights.
In
particular, freedom of information shows the level of transparency maintained
by the state and public agencies. The limitations imposed on the process of
imparting information restrict the free flow of information. The recently
declared Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) too have a number of issues
concerning access to information. The SDG Goal 16 states “Promote peaceful and
inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for
all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”
Additionally, freedom of expression as a whole is vital to achieving Goal 16,
target 10: “Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental
freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international
agreements.”
In the
case of Nepal
Assurance of
freedom of information is key to attaining participatory democracy and good
governance. It permits public scrutiny and oversight and ensures their
participation and empowerment. Currently around 90 nations have adopted freedom
of information laws. Nepal introduced the Right to Information (RTI) Act in
2007 and formulated regulations in 2009 along with the establishment of
National Information Commission (NIC) as an independent body to oversee the
implementation of the RTI Act. However, the implementation of the right to
information in Nepal remains sluggish due to many reasons including limited
capacity of the NIC, non-responsive public bodies and recklessness of the
bureaucrats. Ordinary citizens have yet to enhance their bargaining power in
terms of seeking information from the public entities. Awareness programmes on
the right to information by the civil society have failed to reach the
grassroots.
Despite the
fact that Nepal recognises right to information as a tool to maintain
transparency in public bodies and ensure the public’s right to know, the public
in general and the journalists in particular are not able to investigate issues
in detail. Corruption, misuse of government resources, and abuse of power,
mismanagement and misconduct within the government offices are rampant and
increasing. Extreme gap between the haves and the have-nots and limited mass
awareness about the instruments on right to information are the major reasons
behind the slowness in the empowerment of the marginalised and socially
excluded groups. There is a pressing need to engage these groups in the process
of development and to create a just society. Journalists have a bigger role to
play in this regard. They can utilise right to information tools while doing
their job, especially when digging up information in cases of corruption and
fraud.
Need for
transparency
A case of the
successful utilisation of the RTI Act about a murdered journalist is worth
discussing. Journalist Ramjee Dahal sought information with original bills and
expenditure details of a probe commission formed to investigate the murder of
journalist JP Joshi. He appealed to the NIC after the Ministry of Home refused
to provide information. He was provided with all original bills and expenditure
details following an order by the commission. The 485-page-long document that
he received revealed how the authorities were engaged in corruption.
Access to
information and media freedom are essential to democracy, equality and
sustainable development. Journalists play a vital role in actualising the right
to information in the interest of citizens; they empower citizens with
information. Yet, it is not an easy task to collect information from the
authorities engaged in corruption. There is also a need to improve the working
environment for journalists. In particular, their safety concerns have to be
addressed for them to engage in investigative journalism. This will help to
develop a culture of openness and access to information in the country.
(Pant
is the Chairperson of Media Action Nepal)