President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has assured that all Right to Information (RTI) requests submitted to the President’s Office will be responded to, with pending requests currently being prioritised for completion.

The President made the remarks during a press conference held at the President’s Office, where he addressed questions regarding RTI responses and access to information. He stated that instructions had been issued to ensure RTIs submitted to the President’s Office are addressed on a priority basis.

President Dr Muizzu noted that requests related to national security would be reviewed individually in accordance with constitutional responsibilities and national interests. He stressed that while the Government remains committed to transparency, information that could threaten national security would not be disclosed. The President added that all other pending RTI requests would be responded to in the near future.

The President also stated that ministries and state institutions had been instructed to respond to RTI submissions as promptly as possible. Earlier, Senior Government Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef shared statistics regarding RTI submissions received by the President’s Office over the past year.

According to the spokesperson, a total of 288 RTI requests were received during the period, of which 233 have been responded to, while 55 remain pending. He noted that 182 RTIs were received between May and December last year, with 170 responses issued, while 106 RTIs were received this year so far, including 63 that have already been answered. He also reiterated that information relating to national security cannot be disclosed under RTI requests.