As a result of various struggles over the past two decades, the right to information act was enforced in Sri Lanka in 2017. Accordingly, the Right to Information Act No. 12 of 2016 provides the public with the opportunity to obtain information on a wide range of subjects from public authorities in a transparent procedure . Therefore, it is incumbent upon the public to constantly exercise their right to information.
That being the case, Sri Lanka Press Institute launched a series of polls in its social media platforms to test the citizens’ understanding of the Right to Information Act in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, at the preliminary stage of the poll, people were asked whether they are a citizen can obtain information from any public authority. The public was allowed to comment on this for a week.
According to the results of the polls, 76% of respondents said they know that a citizen can acquire information from any public authority and 24% claimed that they do not know that a citizen can obtain information from any public authority. The results are as follows.
According to the provisions of the Article 5 of the Right to Information Act, the public has the right to access information in the possession, trust, or control of a public authority. Moreover, Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act clearly defines what a public authority is.
To gain a clear understanding of what a public authority is, refer to the articles we have published earlier via the following link.
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