Attorney General's Office explained how they plan to proceed with proposing an amendment to the RTI Act.
The amendment for the Right to Information (RTI) Act of Maldives which the government plans to propose to the parliament is not aimed to hinder access to information, but because of the difficulties that arise due to the way the law is at the moment, said Attorney General Ahmed Usham.
This bill is part of the government's newly announced legislative agenda for the next five years.
During a special press conference held at the Attorney General's Office to announce the agenda, AG Usham said that there are no plans to repeal the RTI Act, and went on to say that the proposed amendments are to alleviate the difficulties in implementing the law due to the durations and procedures stated within it.
He assured that the bill would not include anything that would prevent the public's access to information.
"No major or big amendments. We don't intend to bring any changes to the law that would hinder access to information," he said.
Usham further added that the current RTI Act even poses difficulties for the Information Commissioner to implement it, adding that the amendment bill will be finalised following consultations with the commissioner as well.
While the legislative agenda includes several bills concerning liberties and rights, no bill proposed under the agenda will restrict any right or liberty, the Attorney General said. In fact, the bill will be proposed to further broaden rights within the law, he added.
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