Why Do Libertarians Support Government Transparency?

Democracy has nothing to do with freedom. Democracy is a soft variant of communism, and rarely in the history of ideas has it been taken for anything else  -Hanns Herman Hoppe.

One of the primary principles on which Libertarianism is deeply rooted is government transparency. We live in a society where there is much power invested in the Government. In this scenario, libertarians believe that the Government needs to follow the concept of Government transparency. Libertarians argue that Government Transparency is extremely important to combat corruption, abuse, and infringement on personal freedom.

Right to Public Information

One of the key libertarian belief is that the citizens have the right to access information. But do we see it on ground? An accountable governance will not be afraid to be transparent. However, we often see that the RTI act of 2005 is accessible to all. However, there are information which are classified and cannot be revealed to the citizens even if they have petitioned to know about.

This shows that there is partial government openness, and government transparency is compromised on the ground.

How Transparency Prevents Government Corruption?

Government transparency being one of the most crucial principles of libertarianism, prevents corruption. When the Government is accountable to the people, they have a fear of the masses. Hence, when decisions are made on any important policy or agenda, there will be an added responsibility to take steps towards an accountable governance

Conclusion

Government transparency is important when it comes to fostering a just and fair society. However, with maximum power vested to the Government, the Government’s accountability in combating corruption and establishing an equal society is bleak.