Daily Mirror: Sri Lanka: Saturday,
February 18, 2017.
Certain NGOs
in their haste to take advantage of the Right to Information (RTI) Act for
their own agendas have applied for information on the assets declaration of the
President and the Prime Minister soon after the RTI was enacted on February 3,
President Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday.
He said the
RTI envisioned the strengthening of the rule of law, ensuring good governance,
democracy and transparency in state affairs and added that the Government
introduced the RTI to eradicate corruption amid the people believing that 85%
of public servants and 100% of the politicians were corrupt.
Delivering
the keynote address at the ceremony held to mark the enactment of the RTI, the
President said the law relating to the assets declaration by politicians and
public servants was already in the statute book and any citizen could obtain
information on the assets of a parliamentarian from the Speaker, by paying the
relevant fee.
"Those
seeking information under the RTI Act must be aware that they cannot obtain
personal information of individuals and information relating to national
security," he said adding that this information could be used for
character assassination by unscrupulous individuals or groups.
He said
information relating to public affairs, public expenditure and national
development could be obtained.
“Our country
is faced with indiscipline. Although we have the highest rate of literacy, the
lack of discipline among the public, officials and politicians is a major
setback in our forward march. Our people never do what should be done. This
government was elected not to do what the previous government did. The people
gave me a mandate with the hope that I will restore the rule of law, strengthen
democracy and good governance,” the President said.
He said the
people and the media enjoy the new found freedom under this government with
certain groups taking to the streets, inconveniencing the public.
"A few
people claiming to be disabled soldiers attempted to invade the Presidential
Secretariat after removing their artificial limbs, demanding full pension
benefits, though they had resigned from military service a few years after
recruitment," the President said.
"The
former prime minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was severely harassed by the
opposition. In the short period that he ruled the country, not a day passed
without protests staged by the opposition. It is no different with the unity
government. The media and the opposition are misusing the freedom restored by
the unity government." (Sandun A Jayasekera)
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