The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A KEY governance reformer said yesterday he is treating the Davis administration’s renewed promises on transparency with “a little grain of salt”, warning that the upcoming budget will show whether the government is serious about long-delayed reforms or merely repeating pledges it failed to deliver in its first term.

Matt Aubry, executive director of the Organization for Responsible Governance, was responding to the administration’s second-term agenda, read by Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt during Wednesday’s Speech from the Throne.

The speech revived several accountability promises the Davis administration made during its first term, including full implementation of the Freedom of Information Act and the Independent Commission of Investigations.

Both pieces of legislation have been passed in Parliament but have not been fully enacted. They remain underfunded.

Mr Aubry said he was not moved by the promises, noting that successive governments have made similar commitments without following through. He said the budget debate will be a critical test of whether the government intends to fund the full scope of reform or focus on only one piece of implementation.

“If there's a higher budget line item that is specifically now going to be designated to just providing training for public public officers across the governments, that may not be the most effective use in terms of moving it forward,” he said.

Mr Aubry said an implementation plan has already been drafted for the Freedom of Information Act, recommending a pilot programme involving about ten agencies. He said that approach would allow systems, technology, regulations and staff training to be developed and tested before the act is fully rolled out.

He described the plan as the “blueprint” for advancing the act, saying the reforms should be carried out in a coordinated way rather than treated as a series of disconnected steps.

He said trained officers will not be enough if the technology, regulations and systems needed to process information requests efficiently are not also in place.

“So saying it is one thing but committing to and mentioning one specific part might be a process of indicating that only one part of this will be worked on whereas the rest of these things need to be in place for Bahamians to be able to utilise and enjoy what a Freedom of Information Act is when it comes forward,” he said.

Mr Aubry also pointed to the lack of updates on the Ombudsman Bill, the Public Disclosure Act and campaign finance reform, which he described as critical pieces of legislation.

He said observer missions have repeatedly raised concerns about the absence of campaign finance laws in The Bahamas.

“I mean Commonwealth very specifically pointed to this opportunity that comes with financial reform that makes sure that folks believe and understand how monies are used and understand the interests that are represented in these types of campaigns,” he said.

“That also ensures a commitment that we want people to believe that their voice can matter as much as somebody who maybe is putting, you know, a certain amount of money into a campaign.”