President's Office discloses only 38 percent of information required to be proactively released by state institutions
Statistics released by the Information Commissioner reveal a systemic failure by government agencies to disclose information, drawing public criticism as institutions frequently decline requests or unlawfully extend deadlines. Despite the President’s earlier assertions that formal Right to Information (RTI) requests should be unnecessary, the actual rate of information disclosure by state bodies remains significantly low.
President Muizzu's Cabinet. | president office
It has been revealed that the President's Office has disclosed only 38 percent of the information required to be proactively published by state institutions under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
This was revealed through statistics shared on X by Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed. According to the data disclosed by Ahid, on average, only 34 percent of government agencies have disclosed information in compliance with the standards mandated by the law.
When examining individual ministries, these figures are notably low. In some instances, budget utilization remains below 15 percent.
Furthermore, Ahid highlighted that the President's Office has disclosed only 38 percent of the requested information.
Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed recently noted that many state institutions are requesting extensions after failing to respond to Right to Information (RTI) requests within the initial timeframe. He stated that these requests for additional time are frequently being made in a manner that does not comply with the law. According to Ahid, after the extensions are granted, the eventual response from these institutions is often a refusal to provide the information. He pointed out that such decisions could have been communicated within the original legally mandated period.
The government is facing mounting criticism from the public and opposition parties over its failure to respond to Right to Information (RTI) requests. Amid growing complaints that state institutions are refusing to disclose information, statistics reveal significant delays in providing data within the legal timeframes mandated by law.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated, however, that his administration will remain transparent to the point where citizens will not need to file Right to Information (RTI) requests to obtain government data.
