The Tribune

ATTORNEY General Allyson Maynard-Gibson said she is happy that the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Federation, the Organisation for Responsible Government and other civil society organisations have recognised the government’s commitment to public consultation on the controversial Interception of Communications Bill.

“Initial consultations with BCCEF, ORG and others led to the decision that further consultation, led by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), was necessary to inform the public about this important piece of legislation,” she said in a statement released last night. “I publicly thank them for their agreement to collaborate with OAG.

“The Interception of Communications Bill is a very important crime-fighting tool in the arsenal of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. It recognises that the means of communication have changed significantly since 1972. And it protects citizens by placing the decision as to whether the police may intercept a communication solely in the hands of the independent judiciary.

“Further protections are that a time limit is set for the interception and any extension must be agreed by the court and the court dictates how records of those communications should be destroyed. These protections do not exist under the Listening Devices Act.

“In the 2014 Maycock Case the Privy Council said ‘…in the light of the Board’s view that the LDA would not meet current constitutional standards had it been appropriate to apply them, the Bahamian legislature would wish to consider whether the scheme provided by the LDA should now be revisited and revised.’

“From the conversations we have already had it has become clear that the more people learn about the legislation, the more they support it. Moving forward, and in partnership with civil society, we will work to answer the questions and address the concerns of the Bahamian people. It is in the spirit of this very same partnership that we ask all fair-minded civil society organizations to discourage the overheated and irresponsible accusations and misinformation that have unfortunately become part of the public discourse,” Mrs Maynard-Gibson said.

Debate on the bill was expected to start on Wednesday, however, considerable push back from members of the opposition as well as civil society prompted Mrs Maynard-Gibson to announce a delay for consultation.