Guyana

Introduction

Guyana’s domestic approach to the right to information is relatively weak, as their RTI law is full of issues. While the scope of the law and its definition of a document appears broad, the legislation explicitly omits any record that was created before the law was passed in 2013. Additionally, the law’s exception regime is very problematic, as many of the exceptions are illegitimate or are not harm tested, including the provision that allows the president to exclude any public authority from the act. There are also multiple overbroad exceptions that allow refusals (i.e. contrary to the public interest). Another flaw is within their appeals structure, which does not codify either an internal process or external body, though decisions on disclosure are generally made by the Information Commission who has a powerful yet ambiguous role.

Local Expert: Enrico Woolford