Shekhar Singh, of the National Campaign for People’s Rights, described the successes and challenges of the right to information law in India and cautioned that RTI can unleash unexpected forces that could have undemocratic consequences. He spoke Oct. 5 at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners in Ottawa, Canada.
First discussing the success of RTI in India, he pointed to a study by Yale Univrsity researchers showing that filing an RTI request was almost as effective as paying a bribe and that the effect was true across classes. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) Another study, by NCPRI, found that 50 percent of time just filing a RTI application resolved the problem.
He expressed concern that there is an “RTI divide,” commenting that he is not sure if things are better or worse, but that the situation is “unsatisfactory.” The best outcome, he said, would be when there isn’t a need to file an RTI application.
Singh noted that there were 8 million RTI applications in 2010, in a country with 1.2 billion citizens and 30 million employees of central and state government.
He lamented that privacy protections are being used to protect civil servants and that pending legislation could extend such protections.
“We desperately need demystification,” Singh also observed, urging that information be provided in a form that people can understand.
Citizens have been innovative in their use of RTI requests, Singh said, citing a variety of examples,
Unleashing Powerful Forces
Nevertheless, he voiced concern that civil society leaders and government officials have been unprepared for “powerful forces” unleashed by RTI activism; feelings of pain at petty corruption and anger at major corruption.
The middle class particularly is getting “impatient with democracy,” according to Singh. He feared that the “middle class fantasy” of setting up independent institutions could lead to less accountability.
Saying the media is gaining power in India, he suggested that the media needs self-control mechanisms.
Carter Cites Threats
Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States, spoke to the conference via videotape, urged them to be “champions” to promote and preserve the right to information.
He said RTI is facing new threats including proposed amendments and secrecy laws, lack of funding and political backsliding. These threats “raise challenges not before seen,” Carter stated.
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