NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – The Bahamas government says it is “actively” implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) after a senior government minister raised eyebrows over the legislation last week.
In a brief statement, the Office of the Prime Minister said it “wishes to make clear the Davis administration’s commitment to the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).”
Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell, the chairman of the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), told the Nassau Guardian newspaper that “we oppose this Freedom of Information Act idea.
“The FNM (Free National Movement) has this view; they’ve passed something called the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the Procurement Act, the Freedom of Information Act; all of these things have nothing to do with ordinary lives versus just a bunch of public relations, accounting procedures and confusing activity with action.
“So, the prime minister is saying, ‘Yeah, we’ve got a Freedom of Information Act, and we’ll get to it. If you want information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you can come and get it. There’s no issue with information being disclosed in this country,” Mitchell added.
The FNM leader, Michael Pintard, in a statement, condemned the PLP, saying, “Simply put, the PLP has unequivocally betrayed the Bahamian people with Minister Fred Mitchell’s stunning confession that the PLP objects to the Freedom of Information Act,
“We in the FNM condemn this self-serving PLP style of maladministration. We reject the haughty and arrogant stance of Davis, Mitchell, and their PLP colleagues that the
The political directorate is not obligated to show the Bahamian people how their money is spent. Governments must not be allowed to ignore the laws that they don’t like,” he added.
But in its statement, the Office of the Prime Minister noted that Mitchell “in a recent Nassau Guardian article, affirmed that the government is actively moving forward with the FOIA’s implementation.
“This step underscores our unwavering dedication to ensuring transparency and accountability in governance, integral to our democratic principles and the public’s right to information,” the statement added.
and then  after a senior government minister raised){kind=link}