Abdul Azeez Jamaal Abu-Bakur says he wants to ensure that information is already made public before people have to submit requests for it, following his appointment as Information Commissioner.
Abdul Azeez made the remarks while speaking to the Parliament's Committee on Independent Institutions, which is currently reviewing the President’s nomination of him as Information Commissioner.
Responding to questions from committee members, Abdul Azeez, who previously served as the country’s first Information Commissioner, said the purpose of the Right to Information Act is to provide people with access to information, and that this objective should be achieved through diplomacy. He said he would consult with government institutions to ensure information is provided on matters raised by the public, adding that public hearings would only be held when the information cannot be obtained through other means.
Referring to the drafting of the Right to Information Act, Abdul Azeez told the committee that the intention of the law is for information to be disclosed proactively by government institutions. He also said he believes such information should be readily available to the public.
“We will make every effort possible to reduce the extent to which people need to request information. It is not something that should only be obtained upon request. In my view, information about the work carried out by the government — matters that government institutions are expected to proactively undertake and disclose — should be available,” Abdul Azeez said.
Abdul Azeez said he decided to seek the position of Information Commissioner for a second time because the principles he followed during his previous tenure had been lost, and he wanted to revive those principles.
He also said he intends to address several issues currently facing the Information Commissioner’s Office after taking up the position. In this regard, Abdul Azeez noted that the office’s website needs to be improved.