A right Guyanese must fight to exercise

Oct 27, 2026 Editorial, News

(Kaieteur News) – How much must Guyanese struggle to make a law passed by their own government work for them? The question is at the heart of Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram’s decision to take Guyana’s access-to-information dispute to 13 diplomatic, regional and international bodies. That a citizen must go to such lengths to secure the implementation of an existing law speaks volumes about the state of transparency and accountability in this country.

The Access to Information Act was intended to empower citizens to obtain information held by public authorities. Such legislation is essential to democracy, particularly in a country experiencing an unprecedented oil boom, where public scrutiny of government decisions, expenditure and resource management is more important than ever. Yet, instead of providing a straightforward avenue for citizens to exercise this right, the system has become the subject of prolonged disputes, unanswered requests and litigation.