Building awareness on importance of Right to Information for provincial journalists
Sri Lanka faces enormous challenges, not only in the areas of conflict resolution and national integration, but also in the face of the crisis of governance and challenges which need to be addressed to ensure Constitutionalism, the Rule of Law and participatory democracy. One of the major weaknesses in governance in Sri Lanka is the absence of transparency, under a strong culture of authority and secrecy rather than a culture of justification and transparency. When the 2004 draft bill on the subject was endorsed by both major parties, the general assumption was Sri Lanka would be among the first South Asian countries to pass such progressive legislation. However, almost seven years after the presentation of the draft, the RTI Bill has not been adopted as a law. There has not made significant efforts to drum up political support.
This project will involve educating Sri Lankan Journalists on the Right to Information and raising the much needed public awareness on the importance of a bill to the country. It will see five one-day seminars being held, across various provinces in Sri Lanka, using tools such as a comprehensive guide on Right to Information, and a learning module on ‘The Importance of Right to Information’ and ways to promote it.