REAL LIVES, REAL STORIES

THE POWER OF INFORMATION IN ASIA PACIFIC

Transparency International is a global movement with
one vision: a world in which government, business,
civil society and the daily lives of people are free of
corruption. With more than 100 chapters worldwide and
an international secretariat in Berlin, we are leading the
fight against corruption to turn this vision into reality.

www.transparency.org

This publication is a compilation of stories written by staff from

Transparency International national chapters in the countries
included. We are grateful for their contribution to this publication and
their ongoing work on the right to information.

Editors: Elizabeth Tronsor, Julius Hinks

Designer: Sophie Everett | sophieeverett.com.au
Cover image: Transparency International Papua New Guinea

Every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information
contained in this report. All information was believed to be correct
as of September 2019. Nevertheless, Transparency International
cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of its use for other
purposes or in other contexts.

ISBN: 978-3-96076-123-5

2019 Transparency International. Except where otherwise noted, this

work is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0 DE. Quotation permitted. Please
contact Transparency International – [email protected] –
regarding derivatives requests.
 REAL LIVES, REAL STORIES: THE POWER OF INFORMATION IN ASIA PACIFIC

REAL LIVES,
REAL STORIES
2-3 10-11 18-19
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction Maldives Papua New Guinea

Holding public Needing public

4-5
officials accountable information for
public trust
Bangladesh
Using the right
12-13
to information Mongolia 20-21
for investigative Using open data to Sri Lanka
journalism expose corruption Using information
to ensure access

6-7 14-15 to health care

Cambodia Nepal
Making services Fighting unfair 22-23
accessible and parking fees Vietnam
easy to use Ensuring the right

16-17 to information:

8-9 Pakistan
one step of many

Indonesia Holding local

Improving public government
information sharing accountable
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

photo: Transparency International Cambodia

2
 REAL LIVES, REAL STORIES: THE POWER OF INFORMATION IN ASIA PACIFIC

INTRODUCTION
The right to information as a fundamental
tool for citizens who fight corruption

Freedom of information is not only a human right, pages, you will find the stories of citizens from 10
but an important tool to engage and empower countries across the Asia Pacific region who have used
citizens. It allows them to demand accountability their right to information to demand accountability
from governments and fight corruption. Globally, from their governments.
around 120 countries have right to information laws.
From uncovering wrongdoing in Bangladesh and
In the Asia Pacific region, some countries have world-
Mongolia, to ensuring that citizens get the services they
class right to information legislation, while others
need in Cambodia and Sri Lanka, and from holding
have many improvements to make and some do not
politicians to account in the Maldives to ensuring that
yet have specific legislation at all. When it comes to
governments share key guidance and statistics in
implementation, we can also see different degrees of
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, these stories show
success. In our previous report, Right to Information
the difference access to information can make.
in Asia Pacific: How 11 Countries Perform on SDG 16.10,
we outline this and provide clear recommendations to Information requests should be seen as a routine way
national governments. for citizens to understand their government’s work and
to hold it accountable. However, in many places around
Right to information has for years been a focus area for
the world, this is not the case. In many countries,
Transparency International in the Asia Pacific region.
making these requests requires great courage from
Transparency International chapters play a crucial
citizens who may face challenges and danger in
role in advocating for right to information laws that
doing so.
are in line with international standards, fully applied
in practice, and used by citizens to hold governments We are deeply inspired by everyday citizens who make
accountable. They also play an important role in helping information requests or use other public data to hold
citizens to understand how to successfully request governments accountable, and we hope you are too.
information, and then use it. In different countries We also hope that this inspiration leads to action, and
and different areas, this may mean different things, that even more people across the Asia Pacific region
from filling in an online request form or requesting – and the world – use the power of information to
information through the mail or in person, to assisting participate in their society and fight corruption.
citizens in standing up for their rights. This assistance
may involve multiple trips to an information office or
appealing refusals that incorrectly make use of state
secrecy laws.

In this publication, we focus on the people who make

right to information laws come to life, and who use
them as tools to fight corruption. In the following

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TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

BANGLADESH
Using the right to information
for investigative journalism

Md. Obaidur Rahman, a local journalist from Dinajpur, Fortunately, his request was granted the second time
Bangladesh, was following up on an important tip. around. The information revealed that a large number
of stamps were fake and the fraudulent vendors
One of his sources had told him about a counterfeiting
had been costing the government tens of millions
scheme which had been making fake stamps for
of Bangladeshi taka (hundreds of thousands of US
validating legal documents and for tax purposes. This
dollars) for years.
resulted in fewer genuine stamps being purchased,
at the cost of lost revenue for the government. Many As a result, the head of the local government revoked
citizens were unknowingly buying fake stamps. This the licences of the four stamp vendors and initiated
meant they could later have to pay the tax again and control measures, such as issuing limited numbers
that their agreements and property transfers were not of stamps for set time periods and setting up a
legally binding. strict monitoring system. The fraud had finally been
stopped and an additional 2.5 million taka (US$31,250)
Rahman began quietly following the story. The
was collected from Dinjapur stamp vendors within the
evidence he gathered was pointing toward a scandal
following two months.
that could help to stop money being lost to corruption.
Rahman’s story ran in the local newspaper and raised
To support his story, Rahman asked the Dinajpur local
awareness of the importance of buying official stamps
administration for information. In Bangladesh, citizens
from official vendors. It also highlighted citizens’ right
have the right to request information directly from
to information and how this can help stop corruption.
government offices. Unless the information is sensitive
and falls under national security interests, the offices The Committee of Concerned Citizens (CCC) of Dinajpur
have to provide it. is part of a larger network of 45 citizen groups in local
communities that serve as a citizens’ platform against
Rahman learned about right to information requests
corruption. Created by Transparency International
at an information fair run by the Committee of
Bangladesh, groups work to mobilise local citizens against
Concerned Citizens of Dinajpur, which motivates
corruption by using their right to information as a tool to
citizens to become involved with anti-corruption
gather information from government offices.
activities. Two Youth Engagement and Support (YES)
volunteers at the fair showed him the process of Transparency International Bangladesh also works with
submitting an application for information. 60 Youth Engagement and Support (YES) groups to engage
local citizens and grassroots journalists like Rahman and
But when he requested information to check whether
help them to access information, challenge corruption
the fake stamps’ serial numbers were valid, his request
and promote integrity.
was denied.

Undeterred, and with help and encouragement

from the Committee of Concerned Citizens, Rahman
appealed to the head of the local government.

4
I learned how to file a right to
information application at a
Committee of Concerned Citizens’
information fair. Knowing how
to do this allowed me to get the
information needed to expose
fraud and put an end to it. Now
I frequently make information
requests to get vital facts.
Md. Obaidur Rahman
Local journalist in Bangladesh

photo: Transparency International Bangladesh

 Before participating in the
training, I did not know about
good governance and its
principles. Now I can apply these
principles to improve service
delivery and the working culture
at my office. This is a win for both
citizens and government.
Samnang Chey
Public servant in Cambodia

photo: Transparency International Cambodia

 REAL LIVES, REAL STORIES: THE POWER OF INFORMATION IN ASIA PACIFIC

CAMBODIA
Making services accessible
and easy to use

Public services in Cambodia can be slow and Samnang has launched a smartphone application
ineffective. They also often lack transparency or that makes information easily accessible to the public.
accountability. Those who make use of public services This includes information on fees, time needed to get
often say that they do not have enough information services and relevant forms. He also uses social media
about access to services, official fees and turnaround to provide updates and a digital management system
times for providing assistance. This makes it hard for to ensure that service fees are not inflated.
citizens to obtain good service from civil servants and
People on both sides of the service office counters
leaves space for potential corruption.
have noticed an improvement in efficiency and the
Samnang Chey* is not among these. As a long-time quality of services provided. With help from the
Cambodian public servant in the Kampong Cham School of Governance, Samnang and hundreds more
province, he was frustrated by working practices and public servants are proactively providing citizens with
made several attempts to change them. the information they need to get the services to which
they are entitled.
In 2017, Samnang received intensive training on
good governance and effective public service *Name has been changed.
delivery from the School of Governance. The
school is a joint initiative between Transparency
International Cambodia and the Ministry of the
Interior. Its goal is to establish and strengthen
integrity in public service systems and promote
good governance and transparency.

The school’s training programme gave Samnang

and others like him the tools to reform the public
service sector from within. He received training in
basic research skills, good management practices
and transparency measures. Samnang also learned
how to share his knowledge, getting training to be an
instructor to other public servants.

Samnang is now an important part of the programme

that has trained 433 officials employed by the One
Window Service Unit, which he manages. The unit
helps citizens access a range of public services through
one entry point. Its officials are now better equipped
to provide services effectively and openly.

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TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

INDONESIA
Improving public information sharing

Mawar* from Kekait Daye hamlet in West Lombok had Participants agreed on areas in which public
become pregnant, but had no idea how to register her information provision was lacking and discussed
baby with the national health service. It was difficult possible improvements.
to find out what to do and even speaking with the
For example, one of Diskominfo’s information officers
head of the community did not help. Her friends
identified a key problem: “Many officials do not
Abdurrahman and Dinna decided to assist her.
understand the Law of Public Information Disclosure.
To do so, they had to travel 30 kilometres to several They just want to learn the law when handling
government offices in Gerung, the capital of West applicants who dispute information… In addition,
Lombok Regency. They gathered all the information there are still public officials who are closed-minded
they could and brought it back to the village to help about public information.”
their friend.
While still a work in progress, the Index has already
The law requires every public agency in Indonesia helped to improve information access and reform
– governmental or independent – to provide public information institutions, making it far easier
information to citizens on time and at a low cost. for residents like Mawar to get the information their
The law also calls for transparency and accountability. community needs.
But in practice, these standards are rarely met. This
*Name has been changed.
is due to undertrained officials, flawed methods of
sharing information, and a lack of public interest.
Stories like Mawar’s show how difficult it can be to
get basic information.

To help citizens like the residents of Kekait Daye,

Transparency International Indonesia developed a
Public Information Disclosure Index in 2017. They used
this to analyse the experiences of Indonesians who
had recently accessed public information services,
with the aim of finding out how much people knew
about their right to information and how to access it.

The results were discussed in public workshops, which

were attended by representatives from a number
of information offices and institutions, including the
Communication and Information Agency (Diskominfo),
the Health Office and regional governments.

8
The public information disclosure
index helped local government
to better understand some of the
weaknesses in public information
services. Now comes the work of
strengthening them.
Information officer in Indonesia

photo: Transparency International Indonesia

 Assisting the state to adopt a
strong Right to Information
Act was a first step. The
tougher challenge is changing
institutional cultures and
mindsets of public servants
who subscribe to a decades-old
and strongly entrenched culture
of secrecy.
Aiman Rasheed
Executive Director of Transparency Maldives

photo: JHVEPhoto / istockphoto.com

 REAL LIVES, REAL STORIES: THE POWER OF INFORMATION IN ASIA PACIFIC

MALDIVES
Holding public officials accountable

Fathimath* is a governance and human rights activist claimed that the information was private and third
working in the Maldivian capital, Malé. She has been party, and therefore exempted under the Right to
a strong advocate for the effective implementation Information Act.
of the Maldives’ Right to Information Act since it was
Fathimath and Hussein achieved long-awaited
passed in 2014. Fathimath makes frequent requests
success after they sent a complaint to the Information
under the law to hold public officials accountable.
Commissioner’s Office, based on sound legal
However, in a country with a long history of
arguments. In January 2019, the Auditor General’s
government secrecy and a reluctance to proactively
Office finally published the list of presidents and
publicise information, the pushback to Fathimath’s
cabinet ministers who had submitted their asset
work has been strong, and her progress slow.
declarations since 2008. Concurrent advocacy efforts
In July 2015, Fathimath’s colleague, Hussein*, on asset declarations by Transparency Maldives over
requested information from the Auditor General’s the previous ten years resulted in the president’s
office on which Maldivian cabinet ministers and office suddenly making the asset records of presidents
presidents had declared their assets between 2009 and cabinet ministers public. A month later, the
and 2015. ruling party also decided to publicise the assets of all
those running in parliamentary elections. This was an
However, despite numerous personal visits to the
incredible leap forward for transparency in Maldivian
Auditor General’s office, Hussein’s attempts to access
politics and shows that right to information requests
this information – which should have been public
can lead to systemic change.
– were not successful. The office kept insisting on
additional documents, even though his application Activists in the Maldives still have a long way to go.
was legally complete, and rejected further requests by The country urgently needs an organised system for
citing the confidentiality of internal procedures. declaring assets, a way of keeping track of officials’
overseas assets and a robust legal framework for
It is common in the Maldives for officials to use
holding them accountable. But thanks to Fathimath
time as a means to discourage people from seeking
and Hussein, the way has been paved for greater
information. Delays in responding to their claims often
political integrity.
discourage activists who work on multiple fronts and
lack time to spend weeks on a single issue. *Names have been changed.

But Hussein and Fathimath were not willing to give up.

In autumn 2018, Fathimath twice resubmitted the right

to information application to the Auditor General’s
office. This time it was rejected first for breaking the
office’s internal policies and then because officials

11
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

MONGOLIA
Using open data to expose corruption

Munkhbayar’s company, INAKIS, is helping to solve companies would not pay tax until the loans were
the extreme air pollution problems in the outskirts repaid. The guilty politicians were held accountable
of Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, caused by and public oversight of government finances has been
burning rubber and tyres. The company does this by strengthened. Control measures have been put in
converting tyres into rubber plates and toys using place to make the management of the funds more
environmentally friendly technology. It can currently transparent and accountable, with some funds even
recycle 150 tyres per hour, but if they had the money having been closed. Parliament also tried to oust
to expand their operation, the owner says they could Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh’s government, but
provide all the rubber products in Mongolia using he survived a vote of no confidence.
recycled material. However, corruption has so far
Members of parliament were divided into those who
prevented this increase in capacity. His repeated
had received loans from the SME fund and those
applications for a loan from Mongolia’s Small and
who had not. At least five officials involved in the
Medium Enterprise (SME) Development Fund have
scandal resigned.
been unsuccessful, while many politicians have been
using the fund to enrich themselves. In the aftermath of this scandal, Mongolian
government activities are under more scrutiny than
In November 2018, the media company IKON.MN
ever. Two other funds were investigated earlier
reported that 110 out of 132 companies that received
this year. After potential conflicts of interest were
a low-interest loan from the SME fund were owned
found, they were merged with the SME fund into a
by politicians or their relatives. Nearly two thirds
single fund, which officials were reforming to make
of the 74 members of parliament and three out of
more transparent.
16 cabinet ministers, including the prime minister’s
younger brother, were using the fund to finance Many ordinary Mongolians are also putting pressure
their companies. on their government. Citizens are using social media
and protests to push for justice and accountability.
IKON.MN was able to uncover this wrongdoing
This includes the country’s youth. One group of
through an updated right to information law. The
university students formed their own media company
law requires government bodies, including funds,
to inform and encourage young Mongolians to engage
to make all information transparent. It also requires
with politics. Their campaign, known as Бид Уучлахгүй
all companies to publicly reveal their owners and
(We Will Not Forgive), earned them Transparency
financial stakeholders. This allowed the media
International Mongolia’s Youth Anti-Corruption Award
company to find out which companies received loans
in 2018.
at which interest rates, and who owned them.
The government continues to respond slowly to their
The loans scandal set off a political chain reaction.
demands, but Mongolia’s people are speeding ahead
The Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce
with the support of a strong right to information law.
and Industry announced that its 3,500-plus member

12
The implementation of the laws
for open data and the right to
information are instrumental in
revealing game-changing evidence on
institutional corruption in Mongolia.
Batbayar Ochirbat
Executive Director of Transparency
International Mongolia

photo: zulufriend / istockphoto.com

 It is not only the right of citizens
to demand information, but
more the duty of public officials
to proactively give information.
Ashish Thapa
Executive Director of Transparency
International Nepal

photo: Transparency International Nepal

 REAL LIVES, REAL STORIES: THE POWER OF INFORMATION IN ASIA PACIFIC

NEPAL
Fighting unfair parking fees

Shyam* lives in Biratnagar, a city in the east of Nepal, Shyam’s case may seem like an isolated incident.
about 370 kilometres from Kathmandu. He travels However, Biratnagar airport experiences relatively
often, using the domestic airport where he usually high traffic with approximately 40 flights per day,
pays five Nepalese rupees (NPR) (approximately 4 US 50 passengers per flight, and 400 airport staff. This
cents) for bike parking. One day, like any other, he means that corrupt parking staff enforcing the
went to the airport to pick up a relative and parked artificial price hike could make as much as NPR7,500
his bike. (approximately US$65) per day – and that’s if only 60
to 65 per cent of staff and passengers use the facility.
When Shyam returned to collect his bike and pay the
Over the years, the scheme might have cost citizens
fee, an official told him that the fee had been raised to
millions of rupees.
NPR10. Shyam asked why: the fee had never changed,
and it was the middle of the fiscal year. He demanded Thanks to the efforts of Shyam and Transparency
proof that prices had been officially increased, and International Nepal, the contractor was forced to
was given a receipt on which two entries of NPR5 charge the original price.
were listed.
Shyam and Gopal’s story shows how powerful access
Shyam paid the fee – but he was not convinced. to information – and awareness of people’s rights –
Fortunately, he was in contact with Transparency can be. With the help of Transparency International
International Nepal, which suggested that Shyam file Nepal and the Right to Information Act, they were able
a right to information application with the Biratnagar to stand up for their right and prevent corruption.
Civil Aviation Office. Shyam and his friend, Gopal*,
*Names have been changed.
submitted a joint application that included a request
for the official airport fees for all vehicles, details on
the parking lot contractor, and information on the
running of the parking area.

Transparency International Nepal immediately

followed up on the application, making sure to
inform airport authorities of the full details of the
Right to Information Act and of Shyam’s case. After
initial reluctance to process the application, airport
officials investigated the issue. They found that the
parking contractor had no legal right to inflate parking
prices, as in Shyam’s case. Eventually, the money
was returned to Shyam, along with the airport’s
promise that normal prices would be enforced.

15
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

PAKISTAN
Holding local government accountable

Sher Khan* is a journalist and social worker in his late When officials stalled continuously, Sher made
forties, who lives in Burewala Tehsil, a sub-district of eight visits to these agencies demanding that his
Vehari Punjab. applications be processed and that the officials
comply with right to information laws. After months of
He has dedicated his life to helping marginalised
tense discussions, Sher was successful and received
people in his community, who make up the majority.
the information he had requested. It revealed that
Unfortunately, resources in Burewala Tehsil are often
contracts had been awarded for a range of work
limited and most residents struggle to access basic
that had not been carried out, including an extended
services such as health care, education and safe
railway crossing gate, traffic signs, street lights and
drinking water.
new paving tiles.
Sher has frequently observed that public
He filed complaints with both agencies over failure to
institutions meant to serve residents fail to deliver
carry out the work and followed them up, together
on their responsibilities. He has noticed inefficient
with civil society members and other citizens. The jobs
performance, unnecessary red tape, obvious
were completed and the local community benefitted
corruption and wasted resources. Whenever he
from fewer accidents and delays, as well as better
attempted to confront officials, he was met with the
streets for pedestrians.
same response: “These are government matters
and we are not answerable to you.” Yet these were Sher is now an advocate for the right to information,
institutions funded by taxes collected from the teaching others about their rights and working with
residents of Burewala Tehsil. Transparency International Pakistan to fight in cases
like his.
In August 2016, Sher attended a Transparency
International Pakistan workshop which covered *Name has been changed
citizens’ right to information in detail. He learned
about the simple application any citizen could make to
access public information.

Determined to use this knowledge to serve his

community, Sher filed three applications: one to the
Provincial Highway Department inquiring about its
budget for road development, and two to the Town
Municipal Administration asking about the budget
for paving.

16
The first step was to have a good
right to information law in place.
This has been achieved. The next
step is for people to use this law to
hold the government accountable.
Through our workshops at the
grassroots level, citizens learn how
to use these laws to get information
from public departments.
Saad Rashid
Executive Director of Transparency
International Pakistan

photo: danishkhan / istockphoto.com

 While many officers were eager
to help, it was clear that the
structures needed to provide
reliable crime statistics to the
public were not sufficient.
Arianne Kassman
Executive Director of Transparency International
Papua New Guinea

photo: Transparency International Papua New Guinea

 REAL LIVES, REAL STORIES: THE POWER OF INFORMATION IN ASIA PACIFIC

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Needing public information for public trust

“Organ Harvesters Apprehended“ Transparency International Papua New Guinea has

been working to ensure that the rights to information,
This horrifying headline reached citizens of Papua New
free expression and public assembly contained within
Guinea as a viral WhatsApp alert one morning in 2019.
the constitution are upheld.
The alert pointed to social media posts and reported
that police had detained several kidnappers. It said The chapter recently conducted a review of state
the kidnappers had been abducting and murdering agencies in the country to determine their ability
women and children in the capital city of Port Moresby and willingness to provide public information. This
in order to harvest and sell their organs. Anyone who included the same police force that was the subject
knew the perpetrators or had any useful information of public fury after the harvesting scandal. While
was to contact the police immediately. many officers were eager to help, it was clear that the
structures needed to provide reliable crime statistics
Papua New Guineans were demanding to see the
to the public were not sufficient. There are many other
killers apprehended. However, when scores of
areas where agencies need to be more transparent,
enraged citizens arrived at Boroko Police Station in
including land tenure, forestry, public procurement
Port Moresby to provide information, they were told
and elections.
by police officers that the social media posts had been
no more than malicious rumours. People had been Transparency International Papua New Guinea
duped. There were no kidnappers, no abductions, no published the results of the study in 2019. These are
victims and no stolen organs. The crowd gathered being used for their ongoing advocacy for a right to
at the station was immediately suspicious, quickly information law, as well as legal guidelines, processes
concluding that the police were compromised, most and infrastructure for public information sharing. The
likely bribed to protect members of a lucrative organ- project of ensuring that Papua New Guineans gain
smuggling ring. their right to information still has a long way to go, but
it has been set well in motion.
Enraged, people damaged police vehicles and
nearby shops.

Section 51 of the Papua New Guinea national

constitution has enshrined the right to reliable
facts since 1974. However, there is no system for
enforcing the law and ensuring that institutions
provide information to the public. This can result in
turmoil such as the organ harvest riot, caused by
citizens lacking access to official crime statistics to
counterbalance fake news and prevent panic.

19
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

SRI LANKA
Using information to ensure
access to health care

In 2018, when social worker Uduwela Arachchige Soon after Mr. Ariyasena had established that
Ariyasena first attended a Transparency International the Samadhigama Hospital was supposed to
Sri Lanka awareness workshop on right to information be operational on a daily basis, Transparency
laws, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He left with International Sri Lanka held meetings between the
important knowledge that would enable his community residents of the area and relevant public officials to
to have regular access to primary health care. discuss how to solve the problem.

Until October 2018, the Samadhigama Base Hospital, The residents presented the information from the
located in a remote part of the Hambantota district right to information request and the officials had to
in Sri Lanka’s deep south, was only operational two accept that six days a week, operation of the hospital
days of the week, due to a shortage of doctors. As a was mandatory under state regulations. The fact that
result, residents from more than five villages in the this was now public knowledge put pressure on them
area were forced to travel long distances to access to act.
basic health care on the days the hospital was closed.
As a result, the Samadhigama Base Hospital is now
The closest health care provider on those days was the
open six days a week, with a resident doctor and
Ambalantota Hospital, 10 kilometres away. The lack
assigned medical staff.
of available transport made this a serious problem,
especially in emergencies.

After the workshop, Mr. Ariyasena filed a right to

information application with the Office of the Director
of Health Services in the Hambantota District. He
asked: “What steps has your office taken to ensure
that a resident doctor is assigned to the Samadhigama
base hospital?” He also asked for certified copies of all
relevant documentation.

Mr. Ariyasena received a response to his application

confirming that while the Samadhigama Hospital is
intended as a primary medical care unit on a day-to-
day basis, the shortage of doctors had prevented it
from fulfilling this function. He was also informed that
a doctor from the Tangalle Base Hospital had been
assigned to the position in 2016, but had been unable
to assume his duties in Samadhigama due to the
chronic shortage of staff in Tangalle.

20
This endeavour has been
successful beyond our
expectations. We can say
for certain that exercising our
right to information brought
about this result [of improved
access to health care].
Mr. Ariyasena
In the monthly right to information supplement
published by Sinhalese daily newspaper, Dinamina

photo: Transparency International Sri Lanka

 Working in a politically constrained
environment on a topic such as
the right to information, we need
to effectively engage with the
authorities while always showing
our added value. We did so and were
able to engage and help to improve
the right to information for citizens
in Vietnam.
Nguyen Thi Kieu Vien
Executive Director of Towards Transparency Vietnam

photo: filipe_lopes
 REAL LIVES, REAL STORIES: THE POWER OF INFORMATION IN ASIA PACIFIC

VIETNAM
Ensuring the right to information:
one step of many

When Vietnam’s Law on Access to Information Ministry of Justice would work together under a more
took effect in July 2018, it was long overdue. For informal cooperation arrangement.
many years, citizens had found it very difficult to
The Towards Transparency Vietnam team worked
get government guidance on vital issues like health
to desensitise the issue of right to information. They
care, borrowing and employment. Businesses had
invited Ministry of Justice officials to a workshop
needed to use personal connections to access
to share experiences of implementing right to
information held by state agencies, which regularly
information laws locally and globally. Together they
refused to clarify policies and share socio-economic
produced a set of guidelines for implementation and
development plans. Needless to say, few businesses
planned a training programme for lawmakers with an
and citizens could hold their government accountable
international expert. Six of Towards Transparency’s
using information.
recommendations were adopted in the decree guiding
Towards Transparency Vietnam has long been trying the implementation of the law.
to change this and ensure the right to information that
The decree is expected to facilitate easy access to
was acknowledged in the 1992 constitution.
information, while reducing the organisational burden
From the day in 2015 that the Ministry of Justice on state agencies.
opened the draft right to information law to public
The Towards Transparency Vietnam team and partner
debate, Towards Transparency Vietnam has worked to
organisations have also been promoting effective
raise it to the highest international standards.
implementation directly with citizens and businesses,
Executive Director Nguyen Thi Kieu Vien and her team providing workshops on how to use the Law on Access
organised a collaboration with the Ministry of Justice to Information in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
and other civil society organisations, nationally and
While Vietnam has recently strengthened citizens’ right
internationally. They worked together to compile
to information through the legal framework, there
concrete guidelines for the drafting committee to
is still a long way towards effective implementation.
ensure the law was strong and could be effective. Four
Most state agencies are still not saying how
of the key recommendations were included in the final
information can be requested, many local government
law, which was also more precise and concise than
employees have not been trained to process
previous drafts.
information requests and not enough citizens have
In 2017, Towards Transparency Vietnam approached been made aware of their rights.
the Ministry of Justice to see what continued technical
Nonetheless, Vietnam has made significant steps
support was needed in developing the decree on the
forward with the right to information, showing
implementation of the new law. However, because
how local and global collaboration can help ensure
approval was not received from the Communist
citizens’ rights are safeguarded at the highest levels
Party, the ministry was not able to collaborate with
of government.
independent organisations. A compromise was
reached: Towards Transparency Vietnam and the

23
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