Economy Next: Sri lanka: Friday, September 29, 2017.
Sri Lanka's
right to information law is strengthening democracy and hands of citizens
changing the balance of power long-held by the officialdom by suppressing
information, the government said.
Finance and
Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera said democracy, reconciliation and
development, the three pillars of the administration was helped by the right to
information law.
Media
Secretary R H S Samaratunga said officials wielded enormous power over the
people and sometimes when people were not treated right they had to suffer in
silence.
In real life,
to do legal battles with government people had to have money, a fair amount
knowledge and also be from a certain social background, he said.
But with the
right to information act, someone could get the information to take action much
more easily and many people were beginning to use the RTI to seek redress, he
said.
It will also
make the officials, transparent and accountable, he said.
An
European-style nation state which was created in Sri Lanka by the British with
a lawmaking parliament and a standing army, police and jails to enforce the
power has given enormous coervice powers over the people.
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