“Any government coming in is going to have to face an unprecedented scenario”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The COVID-19 pandemic has “increased the stakes” for the need to ensure accountable governance in this nation, a governance reformer said yesterday.
Matt Aubry, executive director of the Organization for Responsible Governance (ORG), told Eyewitness News: “Tackling issues such as the country’s massive debt, the economic crisis, the environment, responsible government and youth education are now more than every vitally important.
“COVID has increased the stakes. We have less money to lose, so we have to tackle corruption. It’s a waste we definitely can’t afford right now as it really affects those with the least.”
Aubry added: “Any government coming in is going to have to face an unprecedented scenario. We still need to approach this rationally have a clear plan to get out of this. This is not going to happen with a promissory manifesto.
“The problem that got us here has been across multiple administrations. Getting us out of this is going to require pain and a commitment to doing the right thing. A new government is going to have to deal with that.
“That’s the kind of change we have to deal with. We hope the citizenry is really specific about what they see as priorities.”
While Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced yesterday that the next general election will be held on September 16, Aubry noted that establishing a fixed election date as promised was a missed opportunity for the Minnis administration
“It just caused another level of doubt for the public. It was a loss of opportunity in the level of governance I think is needed going forward,” he said.
“We are calling for a commitment to push forward for the establishment of things like the Integrity Commission, an Ombudsman Bill. These are a commitment to a modern government that includes the citizenry.
“We are going to continue to call for accountable governance reform like the full enactment of the Freedom of Information Act. It’s concerning that we still don’t have a fully operational Freedom of Information Office.”
Aubry continued: “We are also going to continue to focus on local economic development and ensuring that locals have every opportunity and that ease of doing business and access to capital continues to be a priority.
“Undergirding it all is education. We can’t lose sight of the fact that we have to prepare our youth to enter a world that is much more complex and we cannot lose momentum based on a shift of administration. We have to have a long-term open and inclusive plan.
“We are calling on all seeking to serve to commit to these kinds of long-term, sustainable changes.”
