No need to be defensive on RTI,Wajahat tells govt

Speaking to The Indian Express,he said the RTI has so many positives and the government should use it to its advantage instead of treating it like an additional burden.

At a time when some UPA ministers have come to view the RTI as an obstructive force in the wake of a string of embarrassing disclosures,former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah today said the government need not go on the defensive over the increasing use of the medium and should instead take pride in its own creation.

Speaking to The Indian Express,he said the RTI has so many positives and the government should use it to its advantage instead of treating it like an additional burden. Saying it can be a tool that can aid in administration,he cautioned that it should not be treated as a weapon.

He said,The government should not be on the defensive. Corruption has been there for a long time. Corruption is being exposed now because of the access to information,and the government should take the credit for that.

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Habibullah,who is Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities,did not share Corporate Affairs Minister Veerappa Moilys view that RTI is transgressing into the independent functioning of the government. RTI has to be viewed positively,not just by the people seeking and securing information,but by the government also. There are certain things which can be beneficial for the government, he said.

The information could in fact strengthen the functioning of a particular department, he said.