Court ruling on access to information hailed as boost for transparency

(Kaieteur News) – Attorney-at-law and civil society activist Christopher Ram has welcomed a High Court ruling against Commissioner of Information Charles Ramson Sr., saying the decision should mark a turning point in how Guyanese exercise their legal right to access information, while Guyana Press Association (GPA) President Iva Wharton said the ruling should help foster a culture of transparency and accountability.

Ram, a founding member of the Transparency Institute, said he welcomed the decision “with relief” and urged Ramson to treat his office as “a door to be opened, not a gate to be guarded.” “The applications he has messed around with must now be dealt with expeditiously. No citizen should have to go to court for what the law already promises,” Ram said in reacting to the judgment.

Wharton said the GPA also welcomed the ruling and expressed hope that information requests would not only be honoured within the prescribed timeframe but that the information sought would actually be provided where the law permits. “This will help to create a culture of transparency and accountability,” Wharton said, while encouraging Guyanese at all levels to make greater use of the Access to Information Act by submitting requests.