The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Governance reformers yesterday argued that fully implementing and resourcing anti-corruption measures will help ease The Bahamas’ cost of living pressures after this nation slipped one place in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index.

Matt Aubry, the Organisation for Responsible Governance’s (ORG) executive director, directly countered Prime Minister Philip Davis previous assertion that he is prioritising the cost of living fight over initiatives such as the Freedom of Information Act by advocating that “greater investment and risk taking” occur when graft is believed to be in check.

He told Tribune Business that properly funding and staffing the bodies to enforce such laws, including the Public Procurement Board, Office of the Ombudsman and Independent Commission of Investigations, will also help to curb public sector “wastage”, freeing up funds for critical public services such as education and health, and develop an “opportunity” culture that encourages more small business participation in government contract bids.

Mr Aubry spoke out after The Bahamas fell one spot in Transparency International’s rankings, slipping from 28th in 2024 to 29th last year, to rank alongside the US with the same score of 65.

The ORG chief, while arguing that such external reviews must “be taken with a grain of salt” because the assessors may not be familiar with what’s happening on the ground in The Bahamas. nevertheless warned that this nation’s latest minor fall in the Corruption Perceptions Index likely reflects the belief that little has changed in its efforts to fight corruption and graft.

The US State Department, in its annual ‘investment climate statement’ report on The Bahamas in September 2025, said this nation’s nine-point fall in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index since 2011 indicates “growing concerns over governance and anti-corruption enforcement”.

Mr Aubry, agreeing that these issues have not “been seen as a priority” by either FNM or PLP administrations, added that the Bahamian people will have to drive these reforms - not the politicians - and there is no better time to press the case than the upcoming general election campaign when candidates from the major political parties, as well as independents, will be knocking on doors seeking votes.

Prime Minister Davis last year confirmed his administration was focused on “bringing relief to the Bahamian people” from the ongoing cost of living crisis, adding: “The Bahamian people were suffering. Some are still suffering. And until that suffering is alleviated, things as esoteric as matters of freedom of information, they can't take priority in my mind when a little baby can't find food tomorrow. That is what worries me.

“When people don't feel safe in their homes, that is what bothers me. That's what I pay attention to. It's taking my priorities, trying to make this country a country where people can strive, people could survive and feel safe in their homes." Mr Aubry, though, argued that fully resourcing and executing the package of anti-corruption and transparency laws already passed by Parliament will help ease the very same inflation and pricing woes,

“I would actually say that anti-corruption laws and measures fully enacted and experienced by citizens would actually help with affordability and the cost of living issues,” the ORG chief told Tribune Business. “When there’s less wastage in the public sector there’s more money to be used for the benefit of the public.

“When you’ve got confidence in an environment that’s fair and provides opportunity, and is not subject to political agendas, there’s greater investment and risk taking. When there’s more transparent procurement laws that are fully enacted, there’s opportunity for greater revenue generation and local investment. All these things contribute to the cost of living challenges.”

ORG last year noted that the 2025-2026 Budget allocations were insufficient to properly and fully enforce anti-corruption laws already passed by Parliament. It added that the $140,000 provided for the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was far below the $1m estimated as needed for execution.

The Office of the Ombudsman has been budgeted $39,890 for the current fiscal year, the Independent Commission of Investigations has been allocated $30,000 and the Public Disclosure Commission was allocated $80,000. “These figures remain static across the Government’s projected out-years, suggesting limited intention to scale or implement these reforms in any meaningful way,” said ORG at the time.

Mr Aubry yesterday agreed, saying: “I don’t think it’s been seen as a priority issue from any side” of the political divide. He added that this applied to both FNM and PLP administrations, and argued that political patronage and “lack of fairness” - rather than someone pocketing public funds via fraud, bribery or other corrupt means - was often a greater problem in The Bahamas.

Urging Bahamian voters to confront the political candidates over these issues during the upcoming general election campaign, the ORG executive director added: “We sometimes hurt ourselves by the language we use. We think of corruption as people putting money in their pockets. I’m sure that does happen, but the greater issue is patronage and lack of fairness.

“When you are talking to people looking for your vote, whether from a party or independent, now is the time - the opportunity will never be greater - t say we want laws that promote fairness, create transparency, create equal opportunity. We want to know what these are, when they will happen, and make sure they are executed at our level.

“We’ve heard the administrations say they are too busy now, will get it done in the next term. At least the last two. The truth is there will always be things that come up, always external forces - climate change, economic turmoil. We have to do things that give citizens a chance. The Government and citizens have a responsibility to each other that is levelled with anti-corruption laws. People do not have to wait to see if the Government of the day will save them in five years.”

Mr Aubry argued that “the main takeaway” from Transparency International’s corruption perception rankings is “the lack of government leadership paying attention to anti-corruption measures and putting value and priority on these” - something that he argued also applies to The Bahamas.

“We can see that in many ways,” he added. “We’ve seen a lot of advances in policy and legislation, the Independent Commission of Investigations Act and the Protected Disclosures Act… But we’re not seeing it at the perception level or day-to-day level. Most of those policies are not being applied to leverage what the collective intent is. They are under-resourced and not fully developed.”

As an example, the ORG chief cited the Public Procurement Act and the continued absence of many ministries, departments, agencies and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from the monthly list of multi-million dollar government contract awards. Mr Aubry said such non-disclosure inevitably impacts business confidence due to concerns that bidding processes may not be entirely fair, resulting in fewer choosing to participate.

Speaking directly to the Transparency International index, he added: “You have to take any external review with a grain of salt because they don’t know what’s going on in the day-to-day experience. But we do hear people talking about what The Bahamas is about, that it’s not fair, open and equitable at all levels.

“It reflects concern about opportunity and not being able to thrive on opportunity, ideas and talent that exists here. That’s when we see the change in perception when these things are in play.”

ORG, in a statement, said The Bahamas’ one-place drop in the Transparency International index follows a year in which Parliament passed the Independent Commission of Investigations Act 2025 and the Protected Disclosures Act 2025.

The Government also strengthened compliance with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, expanded the publication of government contracts as part of progress under the Public Procurement Act, and signed the Escazú Agreement, committing to stronger access to information, public participation and justice.

But, while “meaningful reforms”, ORG suggested public trust and confidence has yet to match the policy changes. Mr Aubry said: “The Corruption Perception Index shows that passing laws alone does not build trust.

“People judge integrity by what they see and feel in their day-to-day lives - how decisions are made, whether processes are clear, and whether accountability is consistent. When those signals are mixed, confidence breaks down, even when reforms are underway.

“Corruption affects people’s daily lives, especially in communities with the least access to power and opportunity. But those same communities also have the power to drive change and insist that accountability is visible, shared and enforced.”