Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said announces a National Town Hall on Sept 28 to gather public feedback on the Freedom of Information Bill.
PUTRAJAYA: A National Town Hall on the proposed Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill will be held on Sept 28 to gather wider views from stakeholders and the public as part of efforts to further refine the legislation.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the session will be organised by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC), which is currently scrutinising the proposed Bill.
“FOI is an important reform. We need to carefully balance the public’s right to information with legitimate public and national interests. Our aim is simple: to ensure that we get the bill right, so that it is clear, workable and effective in serving the public interest,” she said in a Facebook post here today.
Azalina said the FOI Bill, following its first reading on July 13, was referred to the PSSC for further refinement, with input from Members of Parliament across the political divide, academics, legal experts, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders including Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi.
Azalina said she welcomed the views of constitutional law expert Dr Shad on the proposed legislation titled “Flaws present in the FOI Bill” published in The Star today.
