The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A properly-functioning Freedom of Information Act would ensure business is conducted with “a higher degree of integrity” in the Bahamas, the Chamber’s chief executive said yesterday, especially where government contracts are concerned.

Edison Sumner, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employer’s Confederation’s chief executive, said such legislation would ensure there was a ‘level playing field’ on all government tenders, as every bidder could access the same information.

Suggesting that such an Act would help to hold both the Government and private sector “more accountable”, Mr Sumner said the Christie administration now needed to show the necessary “political will” to both pass and implement it.

Acknowledging that the Freedom of Information (FOIA) legislation had been “bouncing around” for several years, the Chamber chief said the present draft appeared “much stronger” than previous versions.

“Now it’s at the point where there has to be that political will to get the Bill tabled and passed,” Mr Sumner said, urging the Government to avoid “kicking the can down the road” again.

“It’s important we encourage the Government to get this passed,” he added. “It could become the bedrock for how business is done in this country, certainly for public officials.

“When we talk about corruption in the system, lack of governance and lack of accountability, it [the FOIA] will hold us all to account. We will all operate with a higher degree of integrity, especially those with government contracts.”

Mr Sumner said private sector firms could use the legislation to obtain all necessary information on government tenders, especially if they felt key details were being withheld or if a rival was being favoured over themselves.

And, in the latter case, a FOIA could also help restore trust and faith in the Government, as it could be used to prove there was no patronage, cronyism or corruption occurring.

Speaking ahead of next Tuesday’s 6.30pm seminar on the Freedom of Information Act, which is being staged by Chamber affiliate, the Organisation for Responsible Governance (ORG), at the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts, Mr Sumner said a better flow of information coming from the Government was essential if it was to forge a better partnership with the private sector.

He expressed concern that the FOIA legislation might be shunted aside, and fall off the Government’s priority list, as a result of the upcoming general election, and urged both the private sector and Bahamian citizens to push for it to remain a priority.

“We’re at a stage where the economy is still pretty weak, and there are concerns in various spectrums of society about confidence in government,” Mr Sumner said. “Let’s not brush this aside; let’s keep this in front of them.”

Lana Lee-Brogdon, a Chamber director and member of ORG, said the newly-formed non-governmental organisation (NGO) had “picked up” where the Coalition for Responsible Taxation had left off in terms of seeking greater fiscal responsibility, and improved accountability and transparency in governance.

Emphasising that ORG was a non-political, non-partisan group, Mrs Lee-Brogdon said Bahamian citizens should have reasonable access to public records and information that the Government is holding on their behalf.

“We need to ensure it’s a strong Act that holds up to international best practices,” she said of the FOIA. “We see that as the first door that has to be opened to accountability and responsibility in government.”

Describing the FOIA as ORG’s “number one priority”, Mrs Lee-Brogdon acknowledged that the group had “a huge task ahead of us” when it came to changing the mindset and culture surrounding governance in the Bahamas.

“We don’t plan on eating the whole elephant at once,” she said. “We’re going to start with bite size chunks.”

Krystyina Lee D’Arville, another Chamber director, said Bahamians had to remember that they were the ones who elected governments to office.

“We have to do a better job paying attention to that right,” she said. “It’s not just holding the Government accountable; we have to hold ourselves accountable. We have so many more rights than we stand up for.”