Need for freedom of information law alongside OSA - Suhakam

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) believes that transparency can be achieved with the introduction of a freedom of information law alongside the Official Secrets Act (OSA)

By so doing, Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail said both laws would be able to act as checks and balances between the government and society and also in ensuring that transparency and national security were jointly protected.

In his opening remarks during the "Round Table Discussion on Access to Information in Malaysia" here today he noted that the need for information to be freely accessible was vital to create a transparent and open society.

"While the government has a need to protect some types of information which may have a bearing on national security for example, this must not be used as an excuse to prohibit the sharing of information and lack of transparency on the part of the government," he said.

Rather, transparency between the government and society should be the norm and the restriction of access to such information should be exercised reasonably, he added.

-- BERNAMA