Republica : Kathmandu : March 31, 2013.
Nearly six years have passed since the Right to Information Act came into force in the country, but its implementation and practice leaves much to be desired, say experts. It was the common understanding among the experts who participated at an interaction program on "the role of information officers in the implementation of Right to Information", organized by Communication Study Center of Madan Bhandari Memorial College at Binayaknagar, Kathmandu.
When we drafted the law and got it passed, we thought we pulled off a great feat,´ said Taranath Dahal, president of Freedom Forum and a member of the recommendation committee that assisted in drafting the law. ´But as we look at the practice of RTI now, it is not only unenthusiastic but down right depressing.´
´Bureaucrats are afraid of journalists and information seekers as they fear exposure of official irregularities and tend to stall any attempts to seek information, therefore, like all mechanisms in the country, the mechanism to ensure RTI"s implementation is also ceremonial,´ said Laxman Datt Pant, a media educator and a long time advocate of more professionalism in the field of journalism and communication. He stressed that only people with a background in journalism or media studies are fit for such roles.
Outlining the reasons for the poor implementation of RTI in the country, Acting Chief Information Commissioner Shree Acharya said a majority of government officials have yet to embrace the concept of RTI. ´Even a VDC secretary has dared to defy the order of the Information Commission and denied information,´ he said. ´So it is basically the culture that has to change.
Other speakers said that unqualified and disempowered information officers, lack of supporting infrastructures and the indifference of civil society leaders and organizations to lead the effort to file more RTI cases were the causes behind the grim RTI scenario.
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