Parliamentary Select Committee On Elections
The Elections Committee will hold its first meeting on Friday [Aug 23] at 10:00 am, where it plans to review matters including whether or not parliamentary candidates are legally required to make a declaration of interest in government contracts.
Established by Parliament in June 2013, the Select Committee is chaired by Walton Brown [PLP] and includes fellow parliamentarians Jeanne Atherden [OBA], Susan Jackson [OBA], Glen Smith [OBA] and Kim Wilson [PLP].
The Committee has a mandate to review matters relating to elections in Bermuda and to report its findings and to make recommendations to Parliament. A key issue surrounds whether or not parliamentary candidates are legally required to make a declaration of interest in government contracts, and related matters.
Chairman Walton Brown invites verbal or written submissions to the committee. Contact can be made by writing to wbrown@parliament.bm or by contacting the House of Assembly at (441) 292-7408.
Parliamentary committees should be open to the public.
I believe they are open to the public to attend. Just like the Senate or Parliament. I don’t know where it’s being held though…
the answer quite clearly should be YES and each candidate should have to declare their interests publicly.
I will be giving my input to the Honorable Walton Brown.
Parliamentarians should be legally bound to make a declaration of interest in any government contracts. Right now a low standard is being set by a select few in regards to the distribution of contracts and the disclosure of all Government contracts over 50 thousand dollars . Under the leadership of the PLP administration all of this information was publicly accessible ,but now the OBA has reversed that policy. The OBA doesn’t want the entire community to know how many of their elected officials (oligarchy members) are receiving multi million dollar contracts.
god1st can you point me to a story about the reversal of this policy?
I know you won’t correct me if I’m wrong, but can you tell me you when and how you were informed that Mark Bean was hired by Premier Brown paid him $318,000 out of the public purse during his time as Premier to “investigate” how Caribcom could benefit Bermuda? How did that relationship benefit Bermuda?!? For $300,000+, where was the “transparency”, and what was actually carried out by the Brown administration….other than Brown’s investments in the Turks & Caicos.
I’m also sure that you have “strangely” forgotten the passage of a bill less than three months ago that legally bids the O.B.A. to table in the House of Assembly any contract over $50,000. So have any multi million dollar contracts to the “oligarchy members” come to light?(Strange the PLPbiu never-ever talked about doing anything like that during the FOURTEEN-FRIGGING YEARS of governing….REALLY!!!
They will just hide it is Trusts or have it in the spouse’s name like the last government did…
Please enlighten me god1st. Where “was” under the previous administration, all of this information publicly accessible? I need to be schooled.
No significant givt contracts should go to companies held in trust: there should be transparency of ownership.
You are correct God1st!
A bit surprised at the OBA MPs selected for it. I’m happy to see backbenchers sink their teeth into something, but surprised that there’s not one OBA ‘heavyweight’ there. On the plus side, gives the newbies an opportunity to grow and shine.
I thought this was already in place. PLP said that they were ‘transparent’ and had measures in place for transparency. Tired of the crap politics and 14 years of lies.