Mohammad Ali Arafat. Photo: Collected
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat on Wednesday (8 May) said his ministry will work proactively to ensure mass media's access to all types of information the people deserve to know under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
"We say that any government body is bound to provide all information that the people have right to know. If needed, on behalf of the mass media, I will negotiate with the government institutions in this regard," he said.
The state minister said this while addressing the inaugural function of a workshop titled 'RTI Act and Role of Media' at the National Institute of Mass Communication (NIMC) in the city.
The NIMC in association with Economic Reporters' Forum (ERF) organised the workshop for journalists while Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Dr Abdul Malek and Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor Md Khurshid Alam spoke as special guests with NIMC Additional Director General Sufi Zakir Hossain in the chair.
Arafat said the RTI Act was passed in parliament in 2009 during the Awami League government with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the leader of the House, which actually made the government stand itself in the custody to ensure accountability and transparency in its activities.
Pointing out that the government's target is to ensure the transparency and accountability in the administration at the maximum level, he said it would be the foundation for building the Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
"So, it is a common sense that which government can enact such law, it has no inertia to be accountable. And we also want to ensure effective implementation of the law," he added.
The state minister, however, said the journalists' approach should be professional while seeking information so that no misunderstanding is created between the information seekers and providers.
Messenger/Sumon
