By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration’s plan to create an independent commission to investigate misconduct allegations against law enforcement officers comes after it has been slow to push broad measures that enhance transparency, accountability, and public trust in public officials and critical institutions.

Administration officials have suggested the passage of the Independent Commission of Investigations Bill is key to helping to restore the public’s trust in law enforcement after an explosive US federal indictment painted a picture of significant corruption within the Royal Bahamas Police Force, with some officers helping to smuggle cocaine into the United States.

The commission would have sweeping powers to inspect relevant records, documents, and buildings, interview witnesses, review procedures within the security forces and public bodies, and ensure that complaints are properly submitted and investigated.

“No rank, no title, no position will shield anyone from the reach of this commission,” National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said last week.

However, the government’s track record of supporting systems that enhance accountability among public officials is weak.

In its 2024 Investment Climate Report on The Bahamas, the US State Department accused the government of “stalling” the full implementation of anti-corruption laws to enhance transparency and accountability in Bahamian governance.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has said that fully implementing the Freedom of Information Act and introducing campaign finance reform, promises outlined in the PLP’s pre-election manifesto, are not priorities for his administration at this time, citing greater concern about cost of living issues affecting Bahamians. 

Legislators passed an Ombudsman Bill to empower the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the administrative operations of public authorities and identify instances of maladministration, but the body’s status is unclear.

Good governance advocates have called for overhauling the regime around public disclosure to ensure compliance, transparency and verification of declarations. Successive administrations have failed to amend the law.

Matt Aubry, executive chairman of the Organization for Responsible Governance, said yesterday that the country’s governance track record raises doubts about whether the commission to investigate misconduct allegations against law enforcement officers will meet the public’s expectations for effectiveness and robustness.

“Historically,” he said, “the government has not necessarily gone more than let’s get something on the books, not how do we activate it or enact it in a way that it meets its full intention. That fact is one you have to account for as you look to build people’s comfort and trust in a system.”

“Where we are now is not owned by any particular administration because clearly, the lack of movement on legislative frameworks has been across the board because we’ve had a Freedom of Information Act in some form or fashion since 2012 and no movement on it. No administration seems to be very specifically driven to do this.”

“It took a lot of time for the Public Procurement Act to happen, and although the last administration passed it and this administration revised it, we’re still not fully there. This administration passed an Ombudsman bill, which was talked about by the last administration, which didn’t do it, but there’s no resources or enforcement.”

“Top line is making sure there are meaningful and tangible mechanisms that ensure transparency. So, if we’re going to put this bill forward for consultation, that’s critical, but we also have to understand that Freedom of Information being fully funded and enacted has a role; making sure that procurement laws are followed across the board have a role; making sure that we have more transparent and functional public disclosure laws has a really strong role, and election financing has a key role; making sure that there is a comprehensive system that does incentivise whistleblowers to come forward has a role.

“All of those things together have to be talked about as a full solution to changing a culture that either acknowledges that there are challenges in our governance and tries to go around them or doesn’t do enough to mitigate the potential bad actors who are hopefully a smaller part of our public sector.”