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The Government must immediately commit to whistleblower legislation and other transparency measures to break the culture of self-indulgence, waste and irresponsibility that has settled over the handling of Bermuda's public purse.

Without delay, we challenge the Premier to commit his Government to shut down the careless environment - an environment he and his ministers have helped create - that led to acts of greed, fiscal indiscipline and alleged fraud, as reported in the Auditor General's 2008 Annual Report.

The report calls into question the integrity of Bermuda under this Government. We support the call for police investigations into suspect transactions and into ongoing questions surrounding consultancy contracts and capital projects.

Simple questions cut to the heart of the situation:

• Is it okay for government agents to buy lingerie with taxpayer dollars?

• Is it okay for friends of the government to take hundreds-of-thousands of taxpayer dollars and then never explain how they spent the money?

• Is it okay for senior officers to ignore their responsibilities to track and account for the spending of millions of taxpayer dollars?

• Is it okay for agencies of government to ignore rules requiring them to report how tax dollars were spent?

• Is it okay to have a Finance Minister whose instructions are ignored by civil servants and recipients of tax dollars?

Failure

The failure of this Government to respect the public purse is serious and entrenched, and it appears to be spreading.

The only way to stop it now is for the government to change its ways immediately and definitively. To that end we recommend commitment to a range of good governance measures that can expose and discourage the kind of bad behaviour highlighted by the Auditor General. These measures include:

• Whistleblower legislation to protect the right of public servants to speak out against corruption without fear;

• Integrity in Public Office legislation to define corrupt practices and set minimum standards for disclosure of financial dealings by parliamentarians;

• Anti-corruption legislation;

• A Code of Conduct for all parliamentary members;

• Strengthening the role of the Legislature's Public Accounts Committee to work more closely with the Office of the Auditor General to monitor government spending;

• A Contractor General to ensure proper and fair handling of government contracts.

It is up to the Government alone to commit to these steps. If they believe in better governance, they will. If not, the free-for-all will continue and Bermuda's reputation will continue to suffer.

But these steps will not work unless the people who lead government - the Premier and his Cabinet - set higher moral, ethical and professional standards. It is vital to send a better signal to the public than it has.

This is about anchoring Government behaviour in values that ensure integrity, respect and fairness across the board. It begins with the recognition that government is in place to serve the people not itself. Adherence to this basic rule has not been clear for a long time.

This is about leadership by example, the right example. Without it, the Government is failing in its duty to set the moral tone for a just and fair society that all Bermuda wants.

Leadership

We will address specific issues in the Auditor General's report in the days ahead, but before we do we take note with his observation on page 12 that public entities that received government funds "ignored" the Finance Minister's reporting directives.

It is our view that part of the problem is the minister and her ministry are not taken seriously by those whom they deal with. Strong leadership is essential for better management of the public purse and we do not appear have it now.

In conclusion, we urge concerned Bermudians to read the Auditor General's report. This is your country, your home and its pages say it is not being well served.

Kim Swan is Leader of the

Opposition

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