The Turks & Caicos and Bermuda have an old link: the original settlers there were salt rakers from Bermuda. Some more recent links too, with Premiers Michael Misick and Ewart Brown being pals. The most recent day of testimony at the TCI corruption inquiry describes some intimidating meetings between controversial real estate developers with strong [...]
Entries from January 31st, 2009
Saying Thank You
January 29th, 2009 · Comments Off · Education
Before we get too excited about the Premier being named as a Caribbean Illuminati at a fundraiser held by the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI), Bermudians should note that this is a Big Thank You for Dr. Brown’s kind offer for Bermuda to subsidize UWI. Under the terms of the [...]
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Peace and Quiet
January 28th, 2009 · Comments Off · Development, Tourism
Just in case you wondered, the proposed bar at Warwick Long Bay will be allowed to play music that is audible up to 100 metres. That’s not a bar, that’s a nightclub. Ah, the natural environment … If you have not already signed the BEST petition, please do it now! It is plain that there [...]
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Serious about PATI
January 27th, 2009 · Comments Off · Accountability, Bermuda Politics, Transparency
I give a lot of credit to former Premier Alex Scott for getting the ball rolling with public access to information (PATI) in Bermuda. But that was in 2003! It has been reported for some time that a PATI bill is being drafted by Government. That bill should undergo thorough public consultation – including seeking [...]
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Travel Slump
January 27th, 2009 · Comments Off · Tourism
The New York Times is reporting bleak times for luxury and business hotels in the US. In January occupancy rates are down 25% compared to 2008, and average daily prices are down 9% despite the large number of “freebies” (such as free amenities or extra nights) being thrown in to avoid blatant price discounting. Looks [...]
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Crunch
January 25th, 2009 · Comments Off · Accountability
The reporting from the Turks & Caicos inquiry into official misconduct and corruption must be heartbreaking to belongers of that country. You might view it as a “morality play” of how tolerance of the misuse of political office for personal reward – even minor – can quickly escalate to a culture of entitlement and impunity. [...]
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Accountability through Transparency
January 23rd, 2009 · Comments Off · Accountability, Development, Reform, Transparency
Here’s wishing: In our democracy, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which encourages accountability through transparency, is the most prominent expression of a profound national commitment to ensuring an open Government. At the heart of that commitment is the idea that accountability is in the interest of the Government and the citizenry alike. The Freedom [...]
Transparency and Ethics in Government
January 22nd, 2009 · Comments Off · Accountability, Transparency
In the United States, the first executive directives issued by an incoming President are closely watched as indicators of the tone of the new administration. It is telling that the first orders issued by President Obama yesterday dealt with ethics and transparency in Government. “Transparency and rule of law will be the touchstones of this [...]
Known By the Company You Keep
January 22nd, 2009 · Comments Off · Accountability, Bermuda Politics
The inquiry into official misconduct and corruption in the Turks & Caicos Islands has revealed an appalling web of conflicts of interests by politicians – with active personal involvement in projects that they are simultaneously dealing with in their official capacity. One can only wonder at the huge array of “personal loans” – apparently without [...]
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Distortion and Lack of Openness
January 21st, 2009 · Comments Off · Accountability, Bermuda Politics, Transparency
Tom Vesey writes in the Bermuda Sun, regarding the Court House Construction Saga, that lack of openness breeds mistrust. Instead of explaining what’s going on, Works Minister Derrick Burgess declared the newspaper’s story was “false in almost every material respect”. It quickly became clear that the story was, in fact, completely true in almost every [...]