For the first time in many years, the Public Accounts Committee opened its proceedings to the public Tuesday as it began its review of the Auditor General’s report of the Royal Watler Cruise Terminal project.
PAC Chairman Osbourne Bodden opened the proceedings by talking about the decision to make them public.
‘In this day of openness and transparency … it is only fair that the public – with the importance that is given to it – have the chance to come and hear for themselves the proceedings of the PAC,’ he said.
In addition to allowing the media and other members of the public to attend the PAC meetings – which take place in the Legislative Assembly building – Radio Cayman will broadcast the meetings later this week.
Prior to the proceedings, Mr. Bodden said both he and Opposition MLA Rolston Anglin pushed for the open PAC meetings.
‘One of the things that was holding us back in relation to other Public Accounts Committees in the region was how we dealt with the openness of the proceedings,’ he said.
The current standing PAC intends to make all of the rest of its meetings public. Mr. Bodden said there is no guarantee a future PAC would not close the meetings again.
‘But I would hope not,’ he said.
Mr. Bodden said the decision follows in line with other efforts concerning government transparency.
‘I think [opening PAC meetings to the public] will lead the way for a lot of other boards in the future,’ he said.
Although he conceded there is some resistance of other boards to hold their meetings in public, Mr. Bodden said he believes it will happen more often in the future.
‘A lot of the reluctance is fear of the unknown,’ he said. ‘But as long as you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.’
Mr. Bodden said he does not expect the open PAC proceedings to negatively impact the testimony of witnesses.
‘At the end of the day the deals are done and we’re looking at them in retrospect,’ he said. ‘The witnesses are told to tell the truth.’
This is not the first time the PAC meetings have been held in public. Former Cabinet minister and long-time MLA Roy Bodden first opened the proceedings when he served as PAC chairman during his first elected term that began in 1988. Former MLA John Jefferson Jr. also held the meetings in public when he was PAC chairman in the 1990s.
Mr. Bodden said Wednesday he had good reason to believe the PAC proceedings should be public.
‘Because in the interest of democracy, they should be made public,’ he said. ‘After all, we’re talking about getting best value for the public’s money.’
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