The Bhutan National Council June 27 rejected a proposal to take up a right to information bill as an “urgent bill,” according to a BBS news report.
The proposal by member Sangay Khandu did not pass after receiving nine votes. Eight members abstained from voting and six voted “No,” according to BBS.
The Council, however, approved a second recommendation by Khandu, that the government should “conduct RTI awareness not just in the capital and among the literate but also take it to the rural areas,” as BBS stated it.
“The Right to Information in Bhutan is a fundamental right as enshrined in the Constitution of Bhutan to enhance good governance under GNH and of zero tolerance towards corruption,” Khandu was reported as saying.
Regarding the opposition, BBS said:
But some of the members said given the importance of the law, the policy makers should not act in haste. They said they should come up with comprehensive law which should be the outcome of thorough deliberations.
After much discussion, the National Council could only pass the first recommendation, that the awareness on RTI should be inclusive.
Khandu discussed RTI in a May blog post entitled: “The RTI debate in Bhutan: premature?” in which he asked:
Is the RTI debate too soon for Bhutan, that is if we really ever had a debate on it.
Many may probably say yes but there are others who feel, it is as good a time as any to debate it. While not many would refute its importance in democratizing governance, the concern really for many with whom I have spoken or interacted with, who have expressed reservations, seem to be one revolving around unpreparedness as a society.
Khandu went on to report that in his four years as a legislator he has seen “resounding consensus that our good governance initiatives needed strengthening.”
One of those commenting on his post, Chenco, observed in part:
I think now is as good a time as any. A small society like ours needs transparency and accountability, i feel its paramount for our sovereignty and perhaps also an important way of achieving contentment and thus happiness. The strong grape wine and the small society bring out many weird rumors and information, which i believe is slowly eating away the fabric of our society. A RTI would certainly help reduce such speculations and lay to rest many such rumors.
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