From The Cayman Islands Office of the Ombudsman

The 10^th annual Right to Know Day was celebrated Thursday, 28 September 2017 with Government workers and officials opting to wear blue to mark the occasion.

Co-ordinated by Deputy Ombudsman Jan Liebaers and attended by the Ombudsman Sandy Hermiston and Deputy Governor Franz Manderson as head of the civil service, the observance was marked by mainly by radio interviews and giveaways.

“Right to Know Day is celebrated here to show that Freedom of Information is a vital part of Government openness and transparency,” said Mrs. Hermiston.

“We are accountable to the electorate and regularly need to remind them as well as ourselves that this is an unalienable right and an indispensable part of a mature democracy. Others who are new to this provision need to be told about it and Right to Know Day gives us the perfect opportunity to get out into the community and actively promote it, she added.

“The right to access information retained by the Government, about ourselves, institutions and other individuals, is a fundamental freedom,” agreed Mr. Manderson. “The civil service gets hundreds of requests a year, so we know that such access not only helps public involvement in helping shape social policy making but is also a very tangible sign of good governance.”