Freedom of information? Penangites not interested now that they have access
(MMO) – Imagine being told you can now have access to official data that had been heavily classified for decades… pretty revolutionary, right?
But the response from citizens after the Penang Freedom of Information Enactment (FOI) 2010 was implemented was anything but. In fact, it has been positively lukewarm.
Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Prof P. Ramasamy, who is the state executive councillor in charge of FOI, said there were 71 applications last year, an average of six a month, since the FOI Enactment came into force in January 2015 and 47 up to June this year.
“There was a lot of expectation the minute we implemented this Enactment that there would be a rush for information, but that didn’t happen. [We thought] people would come, people are hungry for information… but that didn’t happen. [Applications are] quite low, considering the hoo-ha behind FOI,” he added.
“People were under the assumption that information is suppressed, whether it’s a DAP or Pakatan government, all governments are like that ― that you don’t give the right information to the public,” Ramasamy told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview at his office here.
At the same time, civil servants are still afraid of releasing information.
