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Last Updated: Jan 30, 2019 - 2:41:04 PM |
- Administration marred by scandals and conflicts of interest
- Minnis administration no different from predecessors
- Corruption perception ranking comes as no surprise
- Cease political rhetoric and demonstrate true commitment to good governance
- Government should embrace DNA good governance platform
After the nation’s Prime Minister embarked upon a world anti-corruption crusade and promised to stamp out corruption at its core, recent reports that The Bahamas has moved down to 29th on Transparency International’s corruption ranking is an indictment on the Minnis administration. The Bahamas’ recent ranking on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows a lack of true commitment by the Minnis Administration to transparent and accountable governance. Even though the current administration had campaigned on transparency and accountability in governance on the 2017 campaign trail, their governance to date has been marred by scandals, conflicts of interest and inaction; proving that they are no different from their predecessors in government.
Bahamians will recall the tragic case of the OBAN deal and the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement of ineptitude and fraud as well as the subsequent admission by the Minister of Education that the government breached the law in the handling of the matter.
The Minister of Health also publicly acknowledged approving a contract without the requisite Cabinet approval while two senior Cabinet Ministers were also implicated in matters before the court. The conflict of interest and lack of transparency that plagued the relocation of the main Post Office remains fresh in the minds of the Bahamian people. We are still awaiting the probe into the BPL ordeal as promised by the Prime Minister and when one considers the ineffectiveness and political stifling of the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament as a check and balance to government spending, The Bahamas’ ranking on the CPI comes as no surprise. The government should be aware that its actions are being monitored by both domestic and international observers.
The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) implores the government to fulfil their campaign promise of good governance, transparency and accountability. They should go beyond the political rhetoric and wage war on corruption and the perception of corruption in our nation. On behalf of the Bahamian people, we demand the full implementation of the Freedom of Information Act and the Integrity Commission Act. We encourage the government to fully embrace the DNA’s platform for good governance by enacting and enforcing Whistle-blower and Campaign Finance legislation among others without delay.
Geoffrey Deleveaux, Spokesperson for Good Governance
Democratic National Alliance
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