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Last Updated: May 31, 2017 - 9:48:04 PM |
 NASSAU, New Providence – Though, Deputy Prime Minister K. Peter Turnquest painted a bleak picture of the current Bahamian economy and fiscal state citing a litany of gloomy statistics such as stagnant GDP, and a growing deficit, he looked to the future quoting new fiscal policies and other measures intended to mitigate and reverse these trends.
The Organization for Responsible Governance (ORG) a non-partisan, not for profit civic foundation aimed at good governance, stated it is hopeful for the promised changes however reminds representatives that to achieve meaningful accountability and transparency, they must commit to open governance and engage the input of civil society, the private sector and the public in these initiatives.
The budget communication, much like the Speech from the Throne, indicated a number of promising reforms such as fiscal responsibility legislation, developing an anti-corruption agency, making the procurement process and concessions to foreign investors more transparent, tapping into public private partnerships and enhancing the powers of the Auditor General.
“We, as an organization dedicated to improving accountable governance in the nation, are eager to see some of the items on this administration’s ambitious legislative/policy agenda come to fruition. Along with our civil society partners, we remain committed to lending support and applying public pressure as needed to ensure that good governance is upheld.”
In commending policy objectives mentioned with the budget communication, ORG Executive Director Matt Aubry also advised that as the government embarks on these initiatives they should ensure the inclusion of civil society and private industry in the spirit of open governance.
“Many of these non-governmental and private sector groups have already begun work on initiatives on the agenda, or are otherwise ready to put resources toward them in the way of independent research, benchmarking, drafting or consulting on legislation, and many other avenues. For example, issues such as Fiscal Responsibility, an independent Anti-Corruption body, and transparency in public procurements are ideas already well vetted, discussed and workshopped within civil society. The Government can only benefit from allowing the other sectors a seat at the table in this process.”
The statement is consistent with ORG’s call for increased and standardized public consultation in the legislative and policy-making process, a reform the group says could be more important than ever. Earlier this year, ORG joined with 13 other civil society groups to release a proposal for Public Consultation alleging that adopting the best practices encouraged by the document could not only make for better legislation, but could make implementation easier and less costly as the people more easily accept bills in which they have had input.
“Now that the Parliament has the largest majority in our nation’s independent history, it is imperative that the people, private sector and civil society realize their participatory role in governance. There is no escaping the fact that a smaller opposition is a materially weakened one. The public policy and legislation process must open itself up to more diverse voices and expertise in the bill drafting stage via a Public Consultation process,” said Aubry.
According to The World Bank, OECD and other arbiters of global best standard, ensuring diverse input is correlated to better, more representative policy making. To this end, Aubry states that the people and civil society must be afforded every opportunity to participate in the process to ensure that The Bahamas receives the diversity of thought and expertise required to create the best and most sustainable solutions for our country.
“Ultimately, good and effective governance occurs when each sector – government, civil society, private industry, and the people – can participate and have a meaningful say in the development of policy . If this administration is committed to the principles of accountable governance expressed in The Budget Communication then including representatives from the civil society and the private sectors in the creating of these promised new fiscal and anti-corruption policies is a meaningful first step in the right direction.
About The Organization for Responsible Governance
The Organization for Responsible Governance (ORG) is a not-for-profit civic foundation committed to creating dialogue, insights, and solutions around the challenges affecting accountable governance, education reform, and economic development in The Bahamas. We are businesspersons, students, artists, educators, politicians, clergy, academics and members of civil society united to resolve the nation’s most vexing issues by addressing their root causes through research, education, and partnership.
© Copyright 2017 by thebahamasweekly.com
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