In conjunction with Right to Know Day* on 28 September, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) calls upon Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to make serious efforts toward enacting a Freedom of Information (FOI) law in keeping with his government’s aim to eliminate corruption.

CIJ also urges the same of the following 67 members of Parliament who have openly expressed strong support for an FOI law in a recent survey by news site “The Nut Graph“:

1. Ab Aziz Ab Kadir (Ketereh)
2. Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (Bandar Tun Razak)
3. Abdul Rahman Dahlan (Kota Belud)
4. Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (Kuala Langat)
5. Amran Ab Ghani (Tanah Merah)
6. Anwar Ibrahim (Permatang Pauh)
7. Charles Santiago (Klang)
8. Che Rosli Che Mat (Hulu Langat)
9. Che Uda Che Nik (Sik)
10. Chong Eng (Bukit Mertajam)
11. Chor Chee Heung (Alor Star)
12. Chow Kon Yeow (Tanjong)
13. Chua Soon Booi (Tawau)
14. Chua Tee Yong (Labis)
15. Chua Tian Chang @ Tian Chua (Batu)
16. Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (Kuala Selangor)
17. Dr Fong Chan Ong (Alor Gajah)
18. Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang)
19. Fong Po Kuan (Batu Gajah)
20. Fuziah Salleh (Kuantan)
21. Gobalakrishnan Nagapan (Padang Serai)
22. Gwo-Burne Loh (Kelana Jaya)
23. Hee Loy Sian (Petaling Jaya Selatan)
24. John Fernandez (Seremban)
25. Johari Abdul (Sungai Petani)
26. Kamarudin Jaffar (Tumpat)
27. Kamarul Baharin Abbas (Telok Kemang)
28. Karpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor)
29. Khairy Jamaluddin (Rembau)
30. Khalid Samad (Shah Alam)
31. Lee Boon Chye (Gopeng)
32. Lim Lip Eng (Segambut)
33. Liow Tiong Lai (Bentong)
34. Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohamad Ghazali (Titiwangsa)
35. Loke Siew Fook (Rasah)
36. M Saravanan (Tapah)
37. Manogaran Marimuthu (Teluk Intan)
38. M Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat)
39. Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (Sungai Siput)
40. Mohd Azmin Ali (Gombak)
41. Mohd Firdaus Jaafar (Jerai)
42. Mohd Hatta Ramli (Kuala Krai)
43. Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin (Bukit Gantang)
44. Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff (Balik Pulau)
45. Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Parit Buntar)
46. Nasharudin Mat Isa (Bachok)
47. Ngeh Koo Ham (Beruas)
48. Nurul Izzah Anwar (Lembah Pantai)
49. Ong Tee Keat (Pandan)
50. P Kamalanathan (Hulu Selangor)
51. Dr P Ramasamy (Batu Kawan)
52. Rashid Din (Merbok)
53. Saifuddin Abdullah (Temerloh)
54. Sim Tong Him (Kota Melaka)
55. Siti Mariah Mahmud (Kota Raja)
56. Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (Rantau Panjang)
57. Sivarasa Rasiah (Subang)
58. Tan Kok Wai (Cheras)
59. Teng Boon Soon (Tebrau)
60. Teo Nie Ching (Serdang)
61. Teresa Kok (Seputeh)
62. Tony Pua (Petaling Jaya Utara)
63. Wan Abd Rahim Wan Abdulla h (Kota Baru)
64. Wee Ka Siong (Ayer Hitam)
65. William Leong Jee Keen (Selayang)
66. Wong Ho Leng (Sibu)
67. Zuraida Kamaruddin (Ampang)

CIJ recognises that the Federal Government has taken some steps in addressing the overwhelming need for transparency in governance – the Whistleblower Protection Act and the Personal Data Protection Act, two laws that need to be in place with an FOI law, were passed by the Dewan Rakyat in April and are awaiting gazetting. However, having these two laws is not enough if the Federal Government is seriously concerned about our Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score**, down from 5.1 in 2008 to 4.5 in 2009. Perception of corruption is strongly related to transparency. It is in the interest of the Federal Government to improve Malaysia’s CPI ranking by establishing a legal framework that will boost investor confidence in the country’s governance.

Nearly 90 countries around the world have adopted FOI laws, most in the past 15 years. Other top economies in Southeast Asia are capitalising on the economic benefits from having an FOI law, leaving Malaysia far behind. Thailand was the first to do so in 1997, followed by Indonesia in 2008. The Philippines are planning to retable a stronger law in 2011 after the first attempt was rejected in June. In Malaysia, only the Selangor state has committed to making the law, which is now awaiting public feedback before the third reading in the State Assembly early next year.

More than an economic benefit, however, an FOI law embodies the right to know, a fundamental human right that is also central to democracy.

Enacting an FOI law should be on the immediate agenda of the Najib administration as proof that the slogan “People first, performance now” is not mere rhetoric.

Chuah Siew Eng
Publicity Officer
Centre for Independent Journalism

* Right to Know Day was first celebrated on September 28, 2002, in Sofia, Bulgaria, at an international meeting of access to information advocates who proposed that a day be dedicated to the promotion of FOI worldwide. The aim is to raise global awareness of individuals’ right to access government information and to promote access to information as a fundamental human right.

** The Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived level of public-sector corruption in 180 countries and territories around the world. The CPI by Transparency International is based on 13 different expert and business surveys.

——————–

The Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia (CIJ) is a non-profit organisation that aspires for a society that is democratic, just and free, where all peoples will enjoy free media and the freedom to express, seek and impart information.