The Tribune

By Neil Hartnell

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Opposition’s leader yesterday pledged that Parliament’s spending watchdog will be “relentless” and “very aggressive” in seeking answers for the Bahamian people on how their tax dollars are being spent while asserting that government “stalling tactics” will not work.

Michael Pintard told Tribune Business the Government’s attempts to “handicap” the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the only parliamentary committee on which the Opposition has the majority, will not succeed as he branded the promise of increased collaboration by the Auditor General’s Office “crucial” to ensuring greater transparency and accountability over how the Bahamian people’s money is used.

The Government’s internal financial watchdog, in its just-released 2026-2027 annual plan, pledged to work more closely with its House of Assembly counterpart by increasing its briefings of the latter on various investigations into government ministries, agencies and departments from zero last year to seven by 2029.

The increase is designed to boost transparency and accountability, and ensure Bahamian taxpayers receive value for money, by “strengthening collaboration” with Parliament and, in particular, a Public Accounts Committee that acts as the latter’s watchdog over government spending.

“We believe that it is absolutely critical, particularly since it coincides with increased meetings by the Committee itself,” Mr Pintard told this newspaper of the Auditor General’s plan to increase briefings of the Public Accounts Committee in the upcoming fiscal years. 

“We have had two meetings thus far, and intend to increase that number.“This would be really critical with increased concerns being expressed by civil society and members of the public in general with respect to the management of the public finances. We believe more intimate involvement with the Auditor General’s Office is crucial in this regard.

“We are looking forward to greater information sharing and feedback from the reports they have gotten - both the ones that are tabled as well as the ones that are not tabled.”The Public Accounts Committee, which completed and produced no reports during the Davis administration’s first term in office, has been hindered and handicapped in its work and investigations by a series of rulings from various House of Assembly speakers as well as interventions by the Government to prevent senior civil servants from testifying.

Dr Kendal Major, House speaker during the last Christie administration’s time in office, ruled in 2015 that the Public Accounts Committee could only examine documents that were tabled in Parliament, and could only send for persons, papers or records if a parliamentary resolution permits it to do so. 

This restriction, though, was overturned by his successor, Dr Halson Moultrie, in 2021 although it seemingly sparked little to no improvement in the Committee’s output.

However, its abilities to investigate were again hampered when Ryan Pinder KC, former attorney general in the first Davis administration, instructed Luther Smith, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works, not to appear before the Committee on the basis that its request for his presence exceeded the powers granted by the House of Assembly’s rules, specifically section 17.

He argued that this restricted the Public Accounts Committee to “to examine and report on the accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by Parliament to meet public expenditure; other reports, accounts or financial statements of ministries, departments and public corporations before the House as the committee may see fit; such other accounts as may be referred to the committee by the House or any other law; or the report of the Auditor General”.

Then, earlier this month during the Budget debate, Patricia Deveaux, the present House of Assembly, ruled that all unfinished reports and investigations that the Public Accounts Committee had been working on during the Davis administration’s first term had “fallen away” - and could not be completed - because Parliament was prorogued and dissolved before the May 12 general election.

Mr Pintard, who chairs the Committee, yesterday reiterated his resolve to deliver reports on probes into the CARIFTA Games 2023, the Bahamas Jubilee Games, the Consumer Protection Commission’s office lease, the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) and general government procurement processes in defiance of the Speaker’s ruling.

Asserting that “we do not respect” Mr Pinder’s view, the Opposition leader added: “We believe we can explore not only those reports laid in the House, but in general. We have a lawful duty to investigate the way public funds are used even if they are unaudited reports. We intend to follow leads and be very aggressive in doing so.”

Pledging that the Public Accounts Committee will pick up where it left off under the first Davis administration, Mr Pintard, who chairs it, argued that the decisions and legal opinions impacting its work “send the wrong message and may have emboldened some. The reality is we expect the work to go on and, where necessary, we will also subpoena persons who refuse to appear”.

Describing some of the purported roadblocks as “nonsense”, the Marco City MP added that the Committee was bringing its new members, including Michaela Barnett-Ellis, Jamhal Strachan and Kingsley Smith, up to speed by providing them with all relevant documents and recalling witnesses for questioning if necessary.

“There’s nothing in law or convention where that arises. We can look at any matter relating to the public finances,” Mr Pintard told Tribune Business. 

“Stalling tactics by the Government, no desire they may have to avoid scrutiny, is going to work. We are going to be relentless to get answers and make proper recommendations to improve the management of government ministries, and state-owned enterprises, to make sure the Bahamian people’s money is used properly.

“We are confident that, despite the obstacles we believe the Government will put in our path, we are confident the information will get to the public.” 

Mr Pintard said this was one reason why he has written to Ms Deveaux seeking permission for the public to attend Public Accounts Committee hearings, and have them screened live on TV as well - a move he says will bring The Bahamas into line with other jurisdictions such as the UK.

The Opposition leader also criticised Ms Deveaux’s decision that all matters pending before the Public Accounts Committee had fallen away when Parliament was prorogued prior to May 12. He argued that she failed to hear his side’s explanation of “the process we were using in order to investigate matters that had begun under the first sitting”.

He accused the House speaker of making a “premature ruling” and taking “a partisan approach” to “appease” the Government side and “handicap the work of the Public Accounts Committee”.Among the matters that Mr Pintard and the Free National Movement (FNM) have contacted the Auditor General’s Office on are the Government’s placement of $700m in net borrowing proceeds into the National Investment Fund and this vehicle’s governance, plus the $43m in “crystallised liabilities” involving the Government’s private-public partnership (PPP) agreements with Bahamas Striping.