The Daily Star: Bangladesh: Friday, 7th August
2026.
The RTI Forum has called
for competence, impartiality and commitment to public interest to be the top
priorities in appointing the chief information commissioner and information
commissioners.
The forum made the call in a letter to Justice Farah Mahbub of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, who chairs the recently reconstituted five-member Selection Committee tasked with recommending candidates for the posts of chief information commissioner and two information commissioners, according to a press release issued yesterday.
Constituted under Section 14(1) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009, the committee recently invited applications from qualified and interested candidates for the three posts.
Welcoming the move, the forum said the selection process presents an opportunity to fulfil the long-standing public expectation of an independent and effective Information Commission.
The forum said effective implementation of the Right to Information Act depends on a competent, impartial and citizen-oriented commission.
It urged the selection committee to assess candidates not only on their ability to discharge the responsibilities prescribed under the law but also on their competence, objectivity and impartiality to perform their duties independently, free from all forms of influence.
The letter was signed by Shaheen Anam, convener of RTI Forum and executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, on behalf of the forum’s core group members. They are: Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Shujan; Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB; Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, executive director of COAST Trust; Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of BILS; AHM Bazlur Rahman, chief executive officer of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication; Zakir Hossain, chief executive of Nagorik Uddyog; Ananya Raihan, chairperson of iSocial; Barrister Sara Hossain, honorary executive director of BLAST; Rafiqul Islam Khokon, executive director of Rupantar; Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI; Ruhi Naz, deputy director of Research Initiatives, Bangladesh; and Hamidul Islam Hillol, project manager of the Tobacco Tax Project at the Bureau of Economic Research, Dhaka University.
The forum made the call in a letter to Justice Farah Mahbub of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, who chairs the recently reconstituted five-member Selection Committee tasked with recommending candidates for the posts of chief information commissioner and two information commissioners, according to a press release issued yesterday.
Constituted under Section 14(1) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009, the committee recently invited applications from qualified and interested candidates for the three posts.
Welcoming the move, the forum said the selection process presents an opportunity to fulfil the long-standing public expectation of an independent and effective Information Commission.
The forum said effective implementation of the Right to Information Act depends on a competent, impartial and citizen-oriented commission.
It urged the selection committee to assess candidates not only on their ability to discharge the responsibilities prescribed under the law but also on their competence, objectivity and impartiality to perform their duties independently, free from all forms of influence.
The letter was signed by Shaheen Anam, convener of RTI Forum and executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, on behalf of the forum’s core group members. They are: Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Shujan; Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB; Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, executive director of COAST Trust; Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of BILS; AHM Bazlur Rahman, chief executive officer of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication; Zakir Hossain, chief executive of Nagorik Uddyog; Ananya Raihan, chairperson of iSocial; Barrister Sara Hossain, honorary executive director of BLAST; Rafiqul Islam Khokon, executive director of Rupantar; Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI; Ruhi Naz, deputy director of Research Initiatives, Bangladesh; and Hamidul Islam Hillol, project manager of the Tobacco Tax Project at the Bureau of Economic Research, Dhaka University.
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