Appreciating the spirit of RTI : RIMS must break the silence
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 03, 2012 -

It is difficult to disprove official posturing. It is also equally difficult to prove what is generally perceived to be the truth but for which there are no documents to back up.

The Right to Information Act, 2005, attempts to balance these extremes and in the process ensure a certain degree of transparency and accountability. Hence the clause that information sought under the RTI should be answered within a specific time frame of 30 days.

There are prescribed penalties if the answers or information sought are not furnished within the stipulated period, underlining the seriousness with which the Government of India passed the landmark Act.

This is also in line with the principle that Government officials and public figures are answerable to the people. At the core is the need to address the issue of corruption which has become institutionalised.

Information is knowledge and from this flows informed opinion, which is just the right tool to blunt the menace of corruption and misleading propaganda.

Not surprisingly such a proposition will not go down well with quite a number of people occupying positions of power and authority and this perhaps could be the explanation why information sought under the Act are dexterously side stepped or sought to be silenced.

Maybe the Government ought to give a little more thought on making the penalty for not providing the information steeper. Certainly not the time to toy around with nominal penalty for the issue is something much more than merely seeking information.

The failure of the authority of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences to provide the relevant information sought under the RTI Act has obviously raised more questions than it would have if the answers had been provided within the stipulated period.

Refusal to provide the relevant answers is akin to cultivating the field for insinuations and accusations to fly thick and fast. Is it healthy for RIMS to create such an ambience ?

Certainly not the ideal condition under which the biggest medical institute in the State should be run and managed. It has certainly gone beyond the mere question of whether to answer or not.

It is now in the public domain. This highlights the need to make Government officials appreciate the spirit and the provisions of the RTI Act.

The same yardstick should be applied to the public or the information seeker too. Bureaucracy and transparency should go together to make governance meaningful and Manipur certainly fits the bill of a place which desperately needs such a concoction.

Perhaps RIMS should take the present situation as an opportunity to be a trend setter in maintaining transparency and accountability.

It would be healthy for all and not only the institute.