By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Governance reformers yesterday argued that prioritising government transparency and accountability will help combat the same cost of living crisis that the Davis administration is focused on.

Matt Aubry, the Organisation for Responsible Governance's (ORG) executive director, told Tribune Business that fully implementing the Public Procurement Act's bidding and contract award stipulations, for example, will enable small businesses and entrepreneurs to grow by competing on a level playing field for government work.

Speaking out after Fred Mitchell, minister of foreign affairs and the PLP chairman, last week dismissed as "just a bunch of public relations" multiple laws passed by previous administrations to enhance government transparency and accountability to the Bahamian people, he argued that enforcing these Acts would also help restore "trust" and confidence in public institutions.

The Prime Minister's Office, in a statement following Mr Mitchell's comments and earlier assertions by Philip Davis KC that fully enabling the Freedom of Information Act is not a top priority at this time, said the administration is "actively moving forward" with implementing that legislation and is fully committed to it.

"This step underscores our unwavering dedication to ensuring transparency and accountability in governance, integral to our democratic principles and the public’s right to information," the statement added. However, since taking office, the Davis administration has sent mixed signals in terms of compliance with fiscal-related transparency and the Public Procurement Act.

It is behind the mandated schedule for publishing quarterly and fiscal reports, and late last year published its first list of government contract award winners even though it had been in office for two years and both the original and current Public Procurement Act mandate such information be published "within 60 days of the award"

This is supposed to include the winning bidder’s name and address; contract amount; bid title; name of the procuring entity; and bidding method used. Mr Aubry, meanwhile, argued that the same legislation criticised by Mr Mitchell as "having nothing to do with ordinary lives" could also be used to help ease the cost of living crisis that the Government has identified as its priority, with Bahamians struggling to make ends meet.

"I think it's critical to make time and make a priority for issues of transparency that exist in our legislation," the ORG chief told Tribune Business. "At a critical time, when things external to The Bahamas are at play in many spaces, there are many things we can't control and a lot of external pressures, it's understandable transparency and those types of things don't become a priority when you're trying to address a crisis.

"However, I think it's absolutely essential to remember that those mechanisms of transparency and accountability were put into law to pay attention to long-term sustainability and the positive impact that comes all the way down to quality of life issues."

Citing the Public Procurement Act as an example, Mr Aubry said its full implementation when it comes to total transparency in unveiling bidding opportunities, and encompassing all state-owned enterprises (SOEs), will give Bahamian businesses, including those in the Family Islands and/or run by women and young people, "confidence the system is fair and equitable, and they can invest in and grow their business.

"We need that," he added. "COVID taught us we need more sustainable and resilient local economies. The difference between a person in the community struggling to put food on the table and their ability to thrive by utilising the skills they have might be using the procurement system to build their business. These are critical things.

"The Freedom of Information Act fully functioning makes Government make more efficient and effective decisions on spending. That means less wastage and more money applied to social challenges when external sources are affecting food and electricity prices.

"There's a challenge with trust that exists not only in The Bahamas, but in the Caribbean and worldwide, involving the connection between citizens and the Government. We need to restore that level of trust. We need people to have confidence the Government is serious when it puts forward things like digitisation."