The reintroduction of the Integrity In Public Life Bill, setting up a dedicated Family Court, forming a commission to reform Parliament and abolishing the Common Entrance are among the priorities of the new Mia Amor Mottley administration.
These were some of the measures outlined by President The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason in the President’s Speech at the opening of Parliament yesterday, to lay the groundwork for the building of Barbados’ two-month-old republic.
Although without timelines in most cases, Government said there will be zero tolerance for corruption in governance structures. As such, it will be taking a second bite of the cherry on the Integrity In Public Life Bill, which was defeated in the Senate in 2020.
“Building on the enactment of legislation to protect whistle-blowers and stop corruption, as well as an Act to ensure fairness, honesty and transparency in public procurement and public finances, my Government will bring back to Parliament the Integrity In Public Life Bill; introduce a Freedom of Information Act for increased transparency in governance; implement the recommendations of the Thorne Commission on local governance to give the public more say in national affairs, and implement measures to improve ethics and management systems in Central Government and state-owned enterprises,” the President stated. (CLM)
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