On January 5th 2024, Fred Mitchell, Chairman of the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) made the following statement, “We oppose FOIA idea”, the rest of us can only surmise that the “we” to whom he referred was and is the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), as a political organization and as a government.
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) then almost immediately issued a press release on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), it was when two statements met one another that mass confusion begun, like the Abbot and Costello’s famous back and forth of “Who’s on first?”
We oppose FOIA idea” – The Nassau Guardian; 5th January 2024
Excerpt from this article;
“Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Fred Mitchell said yesterday the Davis administration “opposes” the idea of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), claiming it’s nothing more than “a bunch of public relations” because there is no issue with access to information in The Bahamas.
Mitchell’s comment came amid a renewed discussion over the pending full implementation of the act, which was passed in 2017.
“We oppose this Freedom of Information Act idea,” Mitchell said.
“The FNM has this view; they’ve passed something called the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the Procurement Act, the Freedom of Information Act; all of these things really have nothing to do with ordinary lives versus just a bunch of public relations, accounting procedures and confusing activity with action.”
My first question was who this “we” that the chairman referred of, but this was answered when he said, “……the Davis administration “opposes” the idea of the Freedom of Information Act” (FOIA) and with that being established, it would be safe to conclude that Mr. Mitchell is also conceding and presenting as fact that the Davis “New Day government” administration is opposed to transparent and accountable governance.
Mr. Mitchell then attempt to justify this concession with the very heavy assumption of “….these things really have nothing to do with ordinary living”; but if Mr. Mitchell truly feels that giving the ordinary citizen the “tools” necessary to hold this government or any other government accountable, then my assessment of him is correct; which is he has long passed his “usefulness” as an elected official and should retire immediately!
Then there is the issue of the statement issued by the Office of The Prime Minister on January 5th 2024; “Statement from the Office of the Prime Minister on the Freedom of Information Act”.
Excerpt from this article; “The Office of the Prime Minister wishes to make clear the Davis administration’s commitment to the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
Minister Mitchell, in a recent Nassau Guardian affirmed that the government is actively moving forward with the FOIA’s implementation”, but this is not what Mr. Mitchell said and if it continues with this disjointed back and forth, the people may soon come to the conclusion that someone is lying, because as soon as people were beginning to believe the prime minister and condemning Mr. Mitchel for putting the Davis New Day administration in such a predicament; the prime minister made it clear he is willing to save Mitchell at all cost, even his own credibility.
“PM says Mitchell didn’t say what he indeed said” – The Nassau Guardian – January 11, 2024.
Except from this article, “Though Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Fred Mitchell told reporters last week that the government opposes the idea of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Prime Minister Philip Davis wrongly claimed yesterday that Mitchell did not say this.
Last week, Davis told reporters that the full implementation of FOIA, though a campaign promise of the PLP, was not a pressing issue for the government at this time.
Mitchell, when asked about the matter a day later, said the PLP opposes the idea of FOIA.”
So what the prime minister would wish to have the country believe what Mitchell actually meant was that the full implantation of the Freedom of Information Act; the Procurement Act and the Fiscal Responsibility Acts are not priorities for the New Day Government at this time and not what Mitchell really said and meant of them not being important at all.
It is odd that at the same time that the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) would tell us that the FOIA is of no consequence because it does not impact the lives of the average Bahamian citizen and the prime minister would try to tell us that they are looking to implement the FLOA “soon”, we actually have a situation which suggests that sooner is better than later and that Fred Mitchell’s view is absolutely absurd.
“GOVT, BROKE WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION” – The Tribune
Except from this article; “A TOP civil servant is alleging the government violated the Freedom of Information’s by “intimidating” and “sidelining her after she sought to highlight ‘wrongdoing’.
Antoinette Thompson permanent secretary in the then Ministry of Transport and Housing until she was p[lace on ‘unrecorded leave’ in April 2023, is now2 seeking ‘exemplary’ and ‘aggravated’ damages for alleged breached of that law and the Public Finance Management Act after the government sought to ‘punish’ her for drawing attention to alleged ‘clear acts of public malfeasance.”
It would just appear that this New Day government just cannot help itself as it “set things right” to the advantage of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)
The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason; it is their nature.
END
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