Last week the Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts announced that Cabinet had approved a discussion draft of a Freedom of Information Bill that will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly this month.
As a news agency, we were elated to hear Mr. Tibbetts’ announcement, and we look forward to adding our input into on that discussion draft.
For far too long, some government officials have stymied journalists’ attempts at obtaining what is in some cases the most basic of information simply because they were under no obligation to do so.
True to its promise of bringing a new culture of governance, the People’s Progressive Movement has taken that first important step toward truly making everyone in government accountable for their actions.
It will not be an easy process to move from what has been a society with many governmental secrets to a to an open and transparent one. There will be opposition and an effort to make sure transparency only goes so far.
But the Bill does present Cayman with an opportunity to fundamentally alter the way government operates.
It is our belief that there should be no secrets in Government, except for matters of national security and in some particular cases of personal privacy.
Government dealings, as much as practically possible, should be an open book to the public. That a government can have any secrets not only presents the opportunity for corruption, but actually casts suspicion on those holding the secrets.
There might be some good reasons, for instance, that Cabinet meetings are held in secrecy, but do those reasons really outweigh the public’s right to know the decisions made by elected officials.
At the very least, a listing of Cabinet decisions could be made public within days of a meeting.
There is a long list of items that should be available to the public: every government contract should be available for inspection, as should all bids for contracts.
Nearly every document produced by the government should be accessible to the public if requested.
The police should also have to be more forthcoming, producing police blotters that even include the names of victims of crimes.
The cause and effect of really opening up and becoming transparent will not only create a new culture of governance, it has the possibility of creating a whole Cayman culture.
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