The new Sri Lankan government will form a committee to prepare a right to information bill, according to media reports including an extensive article in The Island by Randima Attygalle and a published interview of a key minister.
The planned working committee of 15-20 members will include the Secretary to the Mass Media and Information Ministry, the Secretary to the Justice Ministry, representatives from the Attorney General’s Department and Legal Draftsman Department, selected public servants, academics and prominent media personnel.
“All the available drafts and working papers presented by various forums will be studied carefully and if required, they will be further developed in order to present the most progressive recommendation,” said the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media and Information, Karunaratne Paranavithana. He said an information commission should be created to implement a new RTI law.
The new government has said it will introduce a bill by Feb. 20 and passed it by April 11.
Speaking to The Island, Paranavithana, said that “corrupt elements cannot play hell” with an RTI Act in place.
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