Press Statements

Come Celebrate International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2021 With Us!

September 28, 2021

28 September is known as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), a day that Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) commemorates given our work around right to information (RTI) and the urgent need for greater information transparency in Malaysia. For context, CIJ has been working towards the enactment of a federal-level RTI law to replace the Official Secrets Act (OSA), a draconian law that criminalises the disclosure of official documents for several years now.
 
This year’s theme is “The Right to Know – Building Back Better with Access to Information” highlights the role of access to information laws and their implementation to build back strong institutions for the public good and sustainable development. With COVID-19 causing chaos and complexity, access to reliable and verified information is more important than ever and it is a crucial time for Malaysians as we navigate our way through both the pandemic and political turmoil.
 
Under the campaign, #KitaBerhakTahu and #MyRightToKnow, CIJ will be organising several programmes in conjunction with this year’s IDUAI: We would like invite and encourage all media and news outlets to participate:

  • RTI online survey – An online survey to find out if Malaysians are aware about their Right to Information. We want to know what information matters to them and their experiences in trying to access government-held information. The survey will be available from 28 September to 12 October 2021 and the responses collected will provide important and real-time data regarding respondents’ experiences of accessing information and its constraints. Link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SFXFDHB
  • Report launch: Research on the RTI implementation structures in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Australia, and the United Kingdom – The objective of this research is to compare models of RTI legislation and assess the effectiveness of the implementation of laws in the said countries. Link to the report: please refer to our website, https://cijmalaysia.net/kita-berhak-tahu/campaign-calendar/ and social media accounts on 28 Sep 2021.
  • #MyRightToKnow in Times of Crisis panel discussion – a webinar to identify and examine current initiatives and challenges in accessing public information and to promote everyone’s right to information. The webinar will be held on 28 September from 10.30 am to 12 pm and will be live streamed on CIJ’s Facebook page, facebook.com/CIJ.MY/.

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    Check out our website, https://cijmalaysia.net/kita-berhak-tahu/ for more information.
     
    For further clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact me, Shahirah Hamid at comms@cijmalaysia.net
     


    • About CIJ

      The Centre for Independent Journalism is a non-profit organisation promoting media independence and freedom of expression in Malaysia.

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