Information Commissioner Hussain Fiyaz Moosa has revealed that strict action will be taken against the Tourism Ministry for refusing to comply with the Right to Information Act.
ICOM held an open hearing on Tuesday regarding a complaint submitted by Maldives Trade Union after the Ministry of Tourism refused to release information on an agreement between the ministry and Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). No representatives from the Tourism Ministry had attended the hearing.
Where a request to access for information is made under this Act, action on the request must be taken as promptly as possible and such access must be provided as soon as may be practicable. According to the law, that period must not in any event exceed 21 days. Where a State Institute fails to comply with the time limits and procedure described in the Act, that office will be considered to have refused to release the requested information.
Speaking during Tuesday's hearing, Commissioner Fiyaz noted that while no representatives from the Tourism Ministry were in attendance at the hearing, it made it evident that the ministry did not wish to cooperate with the commission in providing the information requested by the Trade Union. While the initial request seeking the information was made by the Trade Union during June last year, the case had remained stagnant due to the lack of an Information Commissioner for a period of four months.
However, after the commissioner was appointed to the post, he had attended meetings with the Tourism Ministry regarding the issue. While the Tourism Act stipulates that the Tourism Ministry to conduct its affairs in a transparent manner, the requested information must be released by the ministry as per Article 29 of the Right to Information Act, said the commissioner.
The commissioner added that the commission will instruct the tourism ministry to release the information, and that the Information Officer of Tourism Ministry will be fined under the Act for withholding the requested information. He further revealed that the matter will be investigated under the authority granted to the commission.
Following the hearing, the commissioner took to Twitter to express his displeasure at the absence of a representative from the Tourism Ministry at the hearing. In his tweet, Commissioner FIyaz said it is an uncivilised act for the Tourism Ministry not to attend the open hearing. The commissioner said that the rights of the public are not a “joke” and said he strictly disapproved of actions such as that taken by the Tourism Ministry. He warned that the commission would make full use of the authority provided to the commission under Article 29 of the act to take action against the ministry.
Information Commissioner Hussain Fiyaz Moosa
