The Tribune

OFTEN times, politicians peering down from their lofty perches of elected office take aim at the media for calling them out on their mistakes.

Instead of answering the tough questions or making good on the things they promised to do, it is easier to accuse reporters of “gotcha journalism” hell-bent on derailing the current administration.

Our elected officials forget that we work for the people they were put in office to represent.

Last week, during the opening ceremony for the new Legal Year, Bishop Laish Boyd raised many of the concerns that we in the media have been highlighting for sometime.

Bishop Boyd, who heads the Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, lamented the government’s failure to enact Freedom of Information legislation and denounced parliamentarians who routinely flout the law by failing to submit their annual financial disclosures.

Bishop Boyd also questioned the circumstances that led to the current state of the Bank of The Bahamas, stressing that proper attention must be paid to ensure the institution does not encounter the same problems again.

He called on the government to give proper account of how tax payer money will be spent with the introduction of value added tax (VAT).

“People have good reasons not to trust governments (past and present) to be good stewards or managers of the financial resources entrusted to them,” he said. “The more taxes you collect the more you have to be accountable for your expenditure of such funds. You say that the state needs more money? Then spend what you get better than you do.”

He stressed that the government must strive to do a better job with the collection of pre-existing taxes, such as real property tax, and outstanding payments to state-owned utility companies.

“It is disturbing that some big businesses are permitted to have outstanding electricity bills in the hundreds of thousands and even millions and are allowed to continue (not disconnected), while some medium and smaller businesses and some homeowners are disconnected for a few hundred or a few thousand dollars. This cannot be right.

“This is particularly important when it appears that certain persons could get away with not paying their taxes while others who are less ‘connected’ or less influential – or less wealthy - have to pay,” he said.

On the issue of freedom of information, he said: “It is almost inexcusable that at this stage in our evolving democracy we do not have such legislation in place. The vast majority of us agree that we should have such an act that would result in a greater degree of accountability by the government. Many other pieces of legislation have been passed in record time, but this proposed Act has been shelved for far too long. Let’s do something about it quickly as we move to strengthen our democracy and to create a more just society.”

He also criticised those in parliament who flagrantly violate the Public Disclosure Act, with no repercussions.

“What is so amazing is that there is always full disclosure by all candidates to get on the ballot every five years but very little compliance thereafter,” he said. “The process that starts falls down along the way. This is inexcusable, and needs to improve as it is setting an extremely poor example. It also appears to condone, and in some cases does condone, corruption and a lack of transparency and accountability on the part of some of our leaders; which should not be.”

Bishop Boyd also took aim at the controversy surrounding the government’s $100 million bail out of the Bank of the Bahamas. The government recently established Bahamas Resolve to take over $100 million in troubled BOB commercial loan assets.

For nearly a year the opposition Free National Movement has been pressuring the government for answers on the bank’s state of affairs and has called for the bank’s board and management team to be fired in light of its financial troubles.

“It is our hope that the financial affairs at the Bank of the Bahamas could be stabilised in the very near future and the same mistakes not made again,” the reverend said. “It is the people’s money and better care needs to be taken of it.

“While the International Monetary Funds has commented favourably on the government’s move to firm up the bank by the establishment of the Resolve unit, we are all wondering in dismay: how did we get in such a mess in the first place? What are we going to do to prevent the foolishness that caused us to have to take this course of action in the first place?

“The way in which governments (past and present) have run the various government-owned corporations and entities leaves much to be desired. In fact it causes the populace to lose confidence in governance generally, and is not good for the morale of the country,” he said.