RTI Commission flags crippling staff shortages

Says Commission functioned without Chairperson and one Commissioner for five months with only one legal officer and two legal assistants for much of year; Notes risks to information right of citizens and Constitution that could undermine progressive gains made so far under RTI regime; As RTI Act approaches a decade in 2026, law has been cited as global benchmark

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THE Right to Information Commission (RTIC) has warned that chronic understaffing and ignored statutory safeguards are weakening Sri Lanka’s transparency framework, even as the Commission continues to be held as a global role-model disposing a high volume of appeals under severe operational constraints.

In a public statement issued this week, the RTIC drew attention to official Parliamentary data showing that it concluded 1,157 out of 1,306 appeals received between January and September 2025. This was achieved despite the Commission functioning without a Chair and one Commissioner for five months, and with only one legal officer and two legal assistants for much of the year.

The Commission said this performance underscores its continued ability to uphold Sri Lanka’s globally recognised RTI regime despite the lack of institutional support.

Sri Lanka is approaching the ten-year anniversary of the RTI Act in 2026. The law has been cited by multilateral agencies as a global best practice, including UNESCO's 2020 global SDG report and the IMF's 2023 Governance Diagnostic, which noted the RTIC's contribution to building a culture of transparency among public authorities.

However, the Commission said these gains are at risk due to persistent failures by successive Governments to implement core statutory safeguards. It also raised concems regarding attempts to dilute the RTI Act as it would undermine Article 14A of the Constitution and reverse the transparency gains achieved since the law's enactment.

The RTIC's public statement is full is as follows: "Sri Lanka is nearing the ten year anniversary (2026) of enactment of the Right to Information Act, No 12 of 2016 (RTI Act), globally ranked among the best in the world which has enabled thousands of Sri Lankans to exercise their right to obtain information from State and non-State bodies.