The Right to Information Act proposed by the UNP has been blocked by the government, according to UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader, Jayasuriya said that he was informed the bill could not be presented as it had already been defeated in 2010.
“After the Bill was defeated in June 2010, I worked alongside members of the civil service to amend it and bring it more in line with modern versions seen in countries such as India,” he said.
“There are 90 countries worldwide which have passed similar legislation. Out of the SAARC countries only Bhutan and Sri Lanka do not have a Right to Information Act,
“It is important that this Bill is passed as the people have the right to be given all the information about their own country.
“In 2009 the UNP withdrew the Right to Information Bill as we were promised the government would present their own, this never happened."
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
