OBA’s De Couto On Govt, Economy & More

“Bermudians don’t need hype,” Shadow Finance Minister Dr. Douglas De Couto said, adding, “they need a Government focused on competence, accountability, and solutions that improve daily life.”

Dr. De Couto said, “Right now Bermudians are hungry for real solutions to the problems they face. Housing costs. Healthcare costs and access. Education for their children. The right to vote for students. Safety. And many others. That’s why the Premier’s trip to hobnob with the global elite at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland is out of touch with reality. The press releases about an ‘on chain’ economy and providing public data with ‘Filecoin’ may be good for the Premier’s social media profile but are meaningless for Bermudians.

“Local businesses need a vibrant growing economy, not the one we have today that’s at best stuck in neutral under the PLP Government. Businesses need more customers spending more money. And real solutions to their cashflow challenges, like paying customs duty when goods are sold versus imported, and less tax and red tape in general. An ‘on chain’ economy won’t solve those problems, no matter how many LinkedIn likes it gets.

“And as far as ‘Filecoin’ goes, I am not sure what problem that solves. I can tell you where to find Government data – the Department of Statistics website! They don’t need help publishing data, they just need the tools and resources to produce their reports faster. And the Minister needs to send the reports out in a timely manner.

“But when it comes to sharing data and information with the public, Government’s actions show they would rather not, particularly in Parliament. Here are three examples.

“On November 26th, I asked for a list of MPs and Senators getting public money for work outside their job as an MP or Senator, such as on boards, quangoes, or consulting with Government. On December 5th, the Minister said they needed more time. The following week, on December 12th, the Minister again said they needed more time. How hard can it be to ask each MP or Senator what they’re getting paid for, and checking it against Government payroll? Are they trying to hide something?

“In 2019 Government passed a law about personal staff for the Premier, Ministers, and Leader of the Opposition. This law required the Premier to report to Parliament every year who the personal staff are, what they are doing, and how much they are getting paid. This report hasn’t been produced since 2019. In December we wrote to the Premier requesting the missing reports. I hope we’ll see them on February 20th when Parliament returns, if not sooner. The funny thing about the Government breaking this law is that they are the ones who put it in place!

“Finally, going back to making data publicly available, and looking ahead to next month’s Budget debate, how about just providing the budget data in electronic form like a PDF? Like everyone else in the private sector has been doing for years, actually decades! Legislators are given a huge printed book to lug around, but the PDF e-copy isn’t released until long after the debate. We’ve asked before and the Government has refused. Given the recent ‘Filecoin’ announcement, maybe this year they’ll change their mind?

“If the Government is serious about transparency, innovation, and public access to information, then this is where it should begin — not with buzzwords announced overseas, but with practical reforms delivered at home.

“Bermudians don’t need hype. They need a Government focused on competence, accountability, and solutions that improve daily life. That is the standard against which any new idea, technological or otherwise, should be judged.”

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