Sri Lanka, Sept. 3 -- The proposed amendment takes away a critical element of the right to know about asset accumulation by public officials. It takes away the right to speak about what is found out.

The amendment would make it an offence to share, publish or discuss an asset declaration that a person has lawfully accessed, except for the limited purpose of making a complaint to the specified authorities. In practical terms, a citizen may be able to see a declaration but not speak about what it reveals.

This reverses one of the critically important shifts made by the Anti-Corruption Act. It would return Sri Lanka to the outdated approach reflected in the old Declaration of Assets and Liabilities law, which had a draconian secrecy provi...