The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

HOLDING Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to his word over his recent pledge to “brutally confront” corruption, a group of civil society and industry lobbyists have proposed a multi-sector Anti-Corruption Task Force to combat the problem.

The proposal underscored the need to fight the country’s culture of complacency towards corruption and cronyism as a status quo ingrained in government operations over subsequent administrations.

It proposes widespread collaboration between civil society, private industry, government and the media in its bid to navigate a path to sustainable shift towards public service transparency and accountability.

“The long-term aim of an ACT,” the proposal read, “would be to inform, affect and monitor the process toward the prevention and eradication of high level corruption in government through research, public education and reform.

“The task force should be comprised of a cross-section of stakeholders and be charged with compiling key components of existing reports while also gathering new data to present to the government along with recommendations. ACT will work collaboratively with government to commit to a series of actions that will lead to successful anti-corruption reform.”

The grouping behind the ACT proposal includes: The Organisation for Responsible Governance (ORG), Citizens for a Better Bahamas (CBB), ReEarth, Civil Society Bahamas, Rise Bahamas, and The Abaco Chamber of Commerce.

The proposal suggests that the task force be comprised of 15 to 20 members chosen by a peer selection process.

“Every sector is better regulated when it is accountable to another,” said ORG Engagement Coordinator Terneille Burrows. “This is the essence of checks and balances. By opening up the responsibility of fighting corruption to other sectors, we create transparency and expand our collective ability to hold those in positions of power or responsibility accountable.

“This principle has been frequently reinforced in anti-corruption recommendations of standard setters such as the World Bank, United Nations, Transparency International and Organisation of American States,” she continued.

“Furthermore, such collaborative task forces have produced results for regional peers such as Trinidad and Jamaica. If we want a stronger, more effective anti-corruption environment, as the prime minister has endorsed, we must seek multi-sector, collective action.”

The task force will draw from existing reports and country-specific recommendations, and investigate the practices of anti-corruption bodies like the Office of the Auditor General; Public Disclosure Commission; Public Service Commission; Police Service Commission; and the Judicial and Legal Service Commission.

Lemarque Campbell, chairperson of CBB, said: “Anti-corruption is an urgent issue. Consecutive governments have acknowledged a need for accountability and transparency and, more poignantly, we see a level of scepticism of government displayed by the people.

“These are reasons enough to act immediately, however, given the deputy prime minister’s recent declaration that anti-corruption legislation will be a top priority when Parliament reconvenes, it is more critical than ever that we begin to research and develop best practices and infrastructure to fight corruption,” he said.

“That is the intent of this proposed ACT outline, which provides not only steps for its own implementation, but a path to the establishment of the much-promised anti-corruption agency.”

In the short-term, the task force’s activities would focus on training and public awareness-building, with legislative amendments and new legislation, along with anti-corruption training for law enforcement set as mid-term goals.

Ultimately, the ACT proposes a long-term goal of holding a referendum to address relevant constitutional amendment requirements.

It also calls for the modernisation of official rules and procedures like: General Orders; the code of ethics for ministers and parliamentary secretaries; and the procedure manual governing the business of the House of Assembly.