Organizer: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
Event: News articles among the Commonwealth countries
Date: September 26-28, 2005

Description: Articles on the Right to Know Day 2005 were published across the
Commonwealth countries, like Bangladesh, Fiji, Guyana, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone

Pakistan: Your Right to Know Today by Iqbal Khattak

Your Right to Know Today
Daily Times | September 28, 2005 | by Iqbal Khattak

PESHAWAR: A strong democratic government and an effective information-sharing regime can support national stability. Openness reduces any unfair advantage of one group over another and creates direct channels of communication between the people and the government.

This is what the third 'International Right to Know Day' will symbolize. Observed today (Wednesday), it aims to strengthen the global movement to promote the right to information.

Right to Know Day was first marked in 2003. In 2002, freedom of information organisations congregated in the Bulgarian city of Sofia to create a network of Freedom of Information (FOI) advocates. The FOI advocates proposed September 28 as an International Right to Know Day to highlight the right to information.

The day was aimed at creating awareness of the importance of the right to information and to campaign for truly democratic societies. The right to information has been
recognised as a fundamental human right over the past 50 years.

Many people around the globe see the right to information as a key to strengthening
democracy and development. Now more than 60 countries, including 10
Commonwealth nations, have guaranteed their citizens the right to access information about the government's operations. In the Commonwealth, 12 countries including Australia, Belize, Canada, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the UK, Zimbabwe and Uganda have access laws.

Access to information is a shortcut to poverty eradication and good governance. Information is a public resource in the hands of the government and the challenge is to share it equitably and manage it to the benefit of society. An effective access to information regime could help empower the poor and vulnerable groups in society.

Unfortunately, in many countries today, simple policies on health and education are not easily accessible to people.

Politicians and civil servants are aware of the fact that their actions and decisions will not be scrutinised and that allows the public officials to engage in corrupt practices. Would the government officials be willing, or be able, to act against public interest if they knew they would be held accountable?

It is important to change the culture of secrecy and the alienation of people by the government and bureaucracy by promoting transparency and public accountability.

Right to information allows the people to know about what policies the government has carried out. Lack of access to reliable information makes people susceptible to government manipulation. The right to access information empowers people, giving them an opportunity to participate in the affairs of the state. While passing a right to
information law could be slow, experience proves that the real challenge comes in its implementation. The Right to Know Day provides a good opportunity to draw people's attention to this fundamental right of the people.