Maldivian Ministries Achieve First-Ever Full Compliance With Right To Information Act

For the first time since the legislation was enacted, all government ministries in the Maldives have achieved full compliance with the mandatory disclosure requirements of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. As of June 7, every ministry, including the President’s Office, has published the required public data. The milestone was confirmed by Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed, marking a significant shift in how the state manages proactive transparency. Under Article 37 of the RTI Act, which came into force in 2014, public bodies are legally obligated to proactively disclose 13 categories of information at least once a year. This mandatory data includes the entity's organizational structure, specific roles and responsibilities, the services provided to the public, and established complaint procedures. The goal of these requirements is to strengthen government accountability and streamline public access to vital information without the need for formal requests. While the Information Commission has previously highlighted systemic shortcomings in proactive disclosure, the current administration has pledged that this level of compliance will be maintained across all ministries and state-owned enterprises moving forward. Despite the achievement, Commissioner Rasheed cautioned that this is only the first step toward genuine transparency. He urged ministries to extend these disclosure practices to the various agencies operating under their umbrellas to ensure a comprehensive flow of information. Beyond the initial publication of data, the Commissioner stressed that the success of the RTI Act depends on the consistency of updates and the timeliness of responses to individual information requests from the public. By maintaining these standards, the government aims to foster a more open relationship with citizens and improve the overall efficiency of administrative decision-making processes.