Pathfinder Foundation, SLPI co-host webinar on RTI to coincide with World Press Freedom Day

Sri Lanka Press Institute Chairman Kumar Nadesan

Central Information Commission New Delhi Chief Information Commissioner Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha

Right to Information Commission Commissioner Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena

The Pathfinder Foundation (PF) and the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) jointly organised a webinar on Right to Information, to mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, with the participation of well-known and experienced media personnel and activists in India and Sri Lanka.

The virtual event focused on three sessions: Gains of the Present and Priorities for the Future; Implementing RTI: Development Priorities and Exposing Corruption; and RTI: Privacy and Data Protection. The program was moderated by SLPI Chairman Kumar Nadesan.

The virtual event kicked off with, a seven-minute film ‘Tackling Corruption the RTI Way,’ produced and directed by an independent group of young filmmakers, launched in Paris by UNESCO in a global event showcasing Sri Lanka’s RTI experiences on International RTI Day, 2020. In his opening remarks, Nadesan mentioned that the theme for World Press Freedom Day this year was ‘Information as a Public Good,’ which goes hand in hand with problems currently being faced. 

Central Information Commission, New Delhi, India Chief Information Commissioner Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha and Right to Information Commission Sri Lanka Commissioner Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena spoke during Session one on Gains of the Present and Priorities for the Future in India and Sri Lanka. 

Sinha provided an account of how the Right to Information (RTI) Act, enacted in 2005 in India is being used as what he called a “sunshine legislation” to increase transparency and accountability and work against corruption and nepotism in the country. Pointing out that although there are still milestones to be achieved and work to be done, he said the number of RTI applications and appeals filed would be a testimony of how the Act has benefitted a large number of citizens in India. Furthermore, he emphasised how, in times of the pandemic, information can be accessed and shared with cases addressed through audio-hearings using smartphones and new technologies. 

Providing perspectives from Sri Lanka, Pinto-Jayawardena pointed out that the rule of law is on the decrease and that the general public is encouraged to believe that such norms are not essential which leads to a failure in legal governance and a disconnect between law and deliverance. She reiterated that the RTI Act which was passed in 2016 is primarily an instrument to empower the citizen.

During session two which focused on RTI, Development Priorities and Exposing Corruption, independent researcher and advocate Ashwini Natesan made a presentation on ‘The UN’s Sustainable Development Indicators and Sri Lanka’s RTI’ whilst The Indian Express Investigative Bureau Senior Editor Shyamlal Yadev addressed ‘How the Indian media has used RTI to fight corruption’.

Sri Lanka CERT Director and ICTA General Counsel Jayantha Fernando analysed ‘Sri Lanka’s draft data protection law, privacy protections and the impact on RTI’ and Central Information Commission (CIC) former Commissioner Prof. M. Sridhar India presented ‘A critique of India’s Personal Data Protection Bill from a Right to Information Perspective’ in session three on RTI, Privacy and Data Protection.

The virtual event was live streamed and can be accessed on the Facebook pages of Pathfinder Foundation and the Sri Lanka Press Institute.