In Brief
- The Issue: The Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill, 2026 allows required government statements to be published online, modernising transparency for the digital age.
- The Impact: The amendment aims to make government information genuinely accessible to all citizens and small businesses, saving them time and resources.
- The Caveat: While moving towards digital governance, the government must ensure that elderly citizens and those without internet access are not left behind.
- The Bottom Line: ‘An informed population strengthens democracy.’
The Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill, 2026 may appear to be a relatively simple piece of legislation. But behind this amendment is a much bigger issue: how do we make Government information genuinely accessible to the people in a rapidly changing digital world?
For me, the principle is simple. Access to information must mean meaningful access to information.
Information can technically be public and yet remain practically inaccessible. A document can be published somewhere and satisfy a legal requirement, while the average citizen may have no idea where to find it.
The amendment recognises how dramatically the way we communicate has changed. It allows certain statements required under the Freedom of Information Act to be published not only through a daily newspaper, but also on a publicly accessible website.
This is not about reducing transparency. It is about modernising the way transparency is delivered.
We live in 2026. People bank online, communicate across the world instantly, conduct business electronically and increasingly interact with Government through digital platforms. Our laws and administrative systems must recognise that reality.
As Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West, I see the practical side of this every week.
People come to our constituency office asking: Who is responsible for this road? Which authority controls this drain? Where do I apply for this programme? Which Ministry should I contact? What documents do I need?
Very often, the problem is not that the information does not exist. The problem is that people simply cannot find it.
I believe that in a modern public service, information should move more than the citizen has to move.
A person should not have to leave work, travel to a Government office, find parking and wait in a line simply to obtain information that can reasonably and lawfully be made available electronically.
There is also an economic dimension to this issue and we must recognise that transparency and accessibility contribute to investor confidence. Businesses want predictable processes, understandable rules and easy access to reliable information.
For small businesses especially, this matters. Large corporations can employ lawyers and consultants to navigate Government systems. A small entrepreneur often cannot. Making public information easier to access helps level that playing field.
However, digital government must never become digital exclusion. Elderly citizens, persons with disabilities and people without reliable internet access must remain part of the equation. Modernisation should expand access, not restrict it.
Recent litigation reported in the national media has also demonstrated that Freedom of Information obligations are not theoretical. Our courts continue to scrutinise compliance with the Act and reinforce the importance of public accountability.
Ultimately, freedom of information should not be viewed as Government versus the citizen.
Governments change. Political parties change. Officeholders change. But strong institutions must remain.
We should never be afraid of citizens knowing more about their Government. An informed population strengthens democracy.
The Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill is not the end of Trinidad and Tobago’s journey towards modern, digital government. But it represents another practical step.
Because information only empowers people when people can actually access it.
Neil Gosine is the Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West and the Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism
