A citizen's guide to the Right to Information
The law gives anyone the right to ask a public body what it holds. Few use it. Here is how it works.
Every public body is required to name an information officer and answer a written request within fifteen days. Refusals must give a reason and can be appealed to an independent commission.
Requests cost nothing beyond copying. The most effective ones are specific: a named document, a contract, a set of minutes.
Why it matters
Anti-corruption researchers consistently find that access to records is the cheapest accountability mechanism a country has, and the most under-used. (‘Corruption Perceptions Index’, 2025)
References
(2025). Corruption Perceptions Index 2024. Transparency International. https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2024
Cite this story
Dispatch Report (2024) ‘A citizen's guide to the Right to Information’, 9 December. Available at: https://thedispatchreport.com/article/a-citizens-guide-to-the-right-to-information (Accessed: 5 October 2026).
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