The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas cannot continue to live a ‘first world lifestyle’ while operating third world systems and processes, a top private sector executive warned yesterday, urging a “strong willed non-partisan approach” to tackling claims of corruption and lack of transparency.

Gowon Bowe, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chairman, told Tribune Business that the

Government’s ineffectiveness in implementing anti-corruption laws, and a vulnerable public procurement process, as outlined in the US State Department’s 2015 report on human rights practices, were also highlighted in this week’s ‘State of the Nation’ study.

“The issues that are coming up in the reports are not unknown,” he said. “The ‘State of the Nation’ report has lifted the veil, and we have a clear view of what is ahead of us.

“Now it’s just a matter of being strong-willed and non-partisan in terms of addressing them. None of these issues are unique to any one particular administration.  That notion needs to be expelled.

“We live a first world country lifestyle, and we can’t have third world systems and processes. If if we want to be considered where we see ourselves rightfully placed in a first world category, then we have to do the things that you would expect in first world countries. That is not to say that they don’t have their fair share of corruption, but they have a  process that people have a greater confidence in.”

    The US State Department report noted that there were “frequent” reports of government corruption, but did not give specific examples.

“The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials,” it said. “However, the Government did not implement the law effectively, and officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.

“The procurement process was particularly susceptible to corruption, as it is opaque, contains no requirement to engage in open public tenders, and does not allow award decisions to be reviewed.”

The report alluded to the case of former Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) Board member, Freddie Solomon Ramsey, who was charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and 14 counts of bribery allegedly committed between 1999 and 2003.

The US said this was the first case brought under the Prevention of Bribery Act since 1989.

Mr Bowe added: “We have not done a good job on transparency, and any type of repercussions or bad behaviour and any exclusion of persons or parties involved in some of the scandals from future projects.

“We are  probably no different than our first world counterparts, except that our enforcement is woeful and we tend to see the same figures popping their heads up from time to time.

“Our governments have gotten themselves caught in a situation where the actual systems and controls for procurement are not well articulated and replicated in a consistent manner,” he said.

“That leads to the perception of corruption because if you don’t have a consistent process that is very transparent as it relates to the decision-making, the evaluation, the score as well as the overall recommendation, then it doesn’t matter who wins.”

Mr Bowe said steps are being taken to address procurement issues, referencing the Inter-American Development Bank’s  $33 million loan to fund “a programme of public financial management and performance monitoring reform”, $6 million of which is being allocated to the upgrade of the procurement system.