Sri Lanka adopts Right to Information bill

Sri Lankan Parliament today unanimously passed the Right to Information bill aimed at restoring transparency and good governance in a country plagued by corruption and misrule.
The Right to Information (RTI) bill was adopted without a vote in the Parliament after two days of debate. The opposition moved amendments were all incorporated at the committee stage, officials said.
The new law gives citizens access to public information except personal data, national security information, financial and commercial policy decisions, intellectual property and medical reports.
During last year's presidential campaign President Maithripala Sirisena promised the new law, since Sri Lanka has had a long history of official secrecy.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the lack of such legislation led to large-scale corruption and financial losses to the country through questionable deals.
Speaking in the debate over two days the information Minister Gayantha Karunathilake said that the adoption the bill was a culmination of an idea mooted in 1994.

He said Sri Lanka's RTI is the seventh best such piece of legislation in the world.
The opposition raised queries on some of the provisions in the bill which aims to curtail the free flow of information.
The JVP in particular questioned provision if it would hinder information on the proposed Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the move was a key element in the unity government's democratisation programme.