Although the Cayman Islands drew on several models from overseas when drafting the Freedom of Information Bill, the legislation is designed to reflect Cayman’s specific needs, Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts said Wednesday.
Speaking at the press conference to announce the launch of the Freedom of Information Bill public awareness campaign, Mr. Tibbetts said the government looked at what already existed in the world.
‘We did not think it necessary to reinvent the wheel,’ he said. ‘Instead we drew on international standards in legislation design in this area.’
Mr. Tibbetts said the Cayman Islands looked at the legislative models of New Zealand and the U.K., as well as at the Florida ‘Government-in-the-Sunshine’ laws.
‘Although the objective of all these freedom of information laws is the same, individual country’s legislation was designed to reflect the operating circumstances of each jurisdiction,’ he said.
‘We in the Cayman Islands will be no different in that approach. While incorporating best practice legislative principles, we are seeking to achieve a robust piece of legislation that will meet our own special needs and that will ultimately gain the acceptance of the people.’
The Cayman Islands has initiated several public service reform measures in recent years that drew on the New Zealand model. The financial management reform was followed by personnel reform and public authorities reform.
‘This modernisation thrust, has, among other things, devolved decision-making in the public sector to chief officers and also heads of departments,’ Mr. Tibbetts said, adding that those developments are a necessary platform for freedom of information.
‘We have empowered our civil service on the ground level to take the decisions that will be necessary as part of the freedom of information reform,’ he said.
In the case of New Zealand, its freedom of information reform took place prior to its public sector, which caused some difficulties in the implementation of its Official Information Act, Mr. Tibbetts said.
‘That we here in the Cayman Islands have already implemented the civil service reform measures is an additional reason to anticipate successful piloting of the new Freedom of Information Law.
‘Freedom of information legislation is based on a culture of transparency and openness. It can only flourish in an environment in which civil servants are empowered to carry out there obligations,’ Mr. Tibbetts said.
The Cayman Islands also wants to avoid a misstep that occurred after the U.K. passed its Freedom of Information initiative in 2000.
The U.K. waited four years to enact the law after it was passed in order to give public administrators time to prepare for the expected flood of requests. As a result, there were some 47,000 requests for information within six months of it becoming law.
‘Again, however, we are doing our way,’ Mr. Tibbetts said.
‘Government here has no intention of going this route of a long suspension between passage of the law and its enactment.’
Mr. Tibbetts said it was very important for the Cayman Islands public to take part in the consultation process with regard to the Freedom of Information Bill so that the legislation could be tailored to take into account the particular nuances of life in Cayman.
‘This is most important, as the Cayman Islands Freedom of Information Law is being introduced to bring about better government through openness and accountability,’ he said.
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