By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ORGANISATION for Responsible Governance (ORG) executive director Matt Aubry has highlighted the challenges a small country like The Bahamas faces in implementing a whistleblower system and urged lawmakers to delay debate on the Protected Disclosures Bill 2025 to ensure more thorough public consultation.

Lawmakers intend to debate the bill –– which was tabled last week –– in the House of Assembly next week.

The bill seeks to shield whistleblowers from retaliation and establish a clear framework for reporting misconduct. It outlines who may make disclosures, the process for reporting, the roles and responsibilities of the designated authority, and the protections and penalties involved.

He also underscored the importance of reflecting on global best practices, particularly considering whistleblowers’ challenges.

“Having a financial penalty is one thing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there aren’t ways to psychologically intimidate,” he said. “You know, there are lots of efforts right now looking at the mental health of what whistleblowers have to get to get support.”

Mr Aubry further emphasised the need for safeguards to ensure people do not feel exposed to retaliation.

“How,” he said, “do we ensure that the systems account for the way that The Bahamas is organised? You know, in our Family Islands, particularly where you have smaller communities, if things happen, when something comes forward, you might be very concerned that it’s going to come back to, you know, understand who and where that information came from and that might encourage you to be quiet.”