Eminent citizens in Bangladesh at a roundtable discussion welcomed the government initiative to enact an ordinance on right to information (RTI). The participants stressed the need for discussing the matter with political players who will ultimately implement the law.
During the daylong discussion on the draft of 'Right to Information Ordinance 2008', speakers suggested changes to the draft to make the proposed information commission truly independent, to ensure protection of whistleblowers, to shorten the list of instances when authorities will be exempted from disclosure of information keeping the exemption for national security concerns intact, and to define specifically the term 'public interest'.
Zahurul Alam has more on the story.