RIGHT TO INFORMATION
May 16 2008 | Views 123 |
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Tags: wickedness external interference wrong decisions divine right minded person newshopper
Tags: wickedness external interference wrong decisions divine right minded person newshopper
RIGHT TO INFORMATION
kvakutty
The citizen’s right to know is of paramount importance in any form of government. Particularly so, in a democracy. Though this is recognized, in practice it is neglected.
Those privileged to work in the different wings of the State, like legislature, executive and judiciary are there, not to deal with their personal problems, but those of the public. They should be publicly dealt with as far as possible. All aspects of their working should be transparent. There may be matters like security and sovereignty of the State, where secrecy may be called for but when the crucial stage is over, full information should be made available to the public. As otherwise history itself will get distorted, and wrong precedents will get established.
While certain matters are under process, secrecy may be necessary so that external interference does not affect and delay the process. But once a decision is taken, there is no need for further secrecy.
If wrong decisions on matters of national importance are kept secret, this will falsify history. The nation then loses the opportunity to learn from its mistakes.
Secrecy produces the following unhealthy tendencies:
1.Irresponsible decision making.
2.Notion of infallibility, as decisions are never questioned.
3.Hiding mistakes and refusal to learn from them, giving
no scope for improvement.
4.A sense of power and privilege leads to temptation
and corruption.
Human nature is such that when a man knows that he is assured of a blanket secrecy, he is more likely to act wrongly. This is more due to selfishness than wickedness. A criminal minded person is more likely to act in this way.
To err is human. All functionaries of the State are human beings. There is no divine right vested in them, just because they are temporarily endowed with power.
Judiciary in India is to be congratulated for protecting the rights of the people in many ways from scheming and wily politicians. They have played a significant role in shaping the course of the RIT Act and its interpretation.
The judiciary should therefore set an example to others by making their own functioning more transparent.
While those working in other wings of the State come into contact with the public more often and are likely to be under pressure to act to suit particular circumstances, judiciary is functioning in a more insulated and protected environment. It is therefore expected of the judiciary to set healthy precedents in the working of RTI Act for others to emulate.
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