Role of Public Authority Political Leadership in Successful

Role of Public Authority & Political Leadership in Successful Implementation of RTI October 13 th, 2009 Jagadananda State Information Commissioner, Orissa sic@ori. nic. in

Political Leadership

Political Will “I believe that the passage of this Bill will see the dawn of a new era in our processes of governance, an era of performance and efficiency, an era which will ensure that benefits of growth flow to all sections of our people, an era which will eliminate the scourge of corruption, an era which will bring the common man’s concern to the heart of all processes of governance, an era which will truly fulfill the hopes of the founding fathers of our Republic. ” Dr. Manmohan Singh Prime Minister of India Speech in Parliament on May 11, 2005.

Political Will “Access to Information as a tool to tackle corruption would form one of the priority items on my agenda. ” Vincente Fox President of Mexico 2000 “A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency. The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails. ” Barack Obama President of USA and Nobel Laureate 2009

Right message And timeless. . . “The real Swaraj will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few but by the acquisition of capacity by all to resist authority when abused. ” authority when abused. Mahatma Gandhi

Role of Political Leaders Implementing a successful information regime demands leadership, resources and political will for transparency and accountability. It needs political role models who are: – convinced that the Right to Information is a human right – desire to rebuild citizens’ trust – committed to improving efficiency and modernization of the systems

Role of Political Leaders • Opinion makers: political leaders are ‘mass mobilisers’ and can promote RTI as a tool that brings tangible results on the ground • Legislative overview: e. g. leveraging legislative forums and lobbying for implementation of RTI in its true spirit • Role models: demonstrating transparency through inviting social audit of use of MPLAD and MLALAD funds

Public Authority

Transform the relationship with the public Current relationship Public Authority Members of the public Emerging relationship Public Authority Public Information Officers Members of the public

Comply with proactive disclosure • Information belongs to the public, not to the Government or any public institutions • Informing citizens increases their trust and helps strengthen partnership with the people • Open information regime enables nimble and local vigilance systems

Setting PA to succeed… “Equally important [to enacting a law] is to establish an institutional framework and developing public administration capacity to manage and provide information” Atlanta Declaration, April 2008, Carter Center To increase efficiency and reduce pressure on PA requires: – – – Additional resources Norms and standards reviewed and revised Training and sensitization IT enabled databases, and e-governance Streamlined procedures and clear guidelines/templates Balance incentives and penalties

Who is accountable? Sharing responsibilities “Demand” side “Supply” side • Active civic engagement • Self-disclosure • Information management • Use of Act for public interest for greater accountability • Timely response • Independent adjudicatory role

Realities on the ground and opportunities We have an opportunity to alleviate poverty and reduce corruption through empowering the citizen to become active: – – Set up RTI ‘clinics’ and leverage local volunteers Citizens Assistance Centres, with special features for disabled Organisation of information fairs Education material in local language disseminated via local communication vehicles (posters, wall paintings, folk art, radio…) – Collaborate with CBOs/NGOs, RTI activists, relevant CSR initiatives to provide hands-on support

THANK YOU!