Once again, the government is withholding important public information.
During the question-and-answer session in a May 11 House of Assembly meeting, Education and Culture Minister Myron Walwyn promised to provide certain details about the tendering for new classroom buildings at Elmore Stoutt High School.
Nearly a month later, we’re still waiting.
This is greatly disheartening, particularly since it is not a first.
During HOA question-and-answer sessions, members of government are supposed to publicly answer questions posed by the opposition. But in February 2015, Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool asked to provide a particularly long set of answers on paper instead of reading them aloud. His request was granted, and other ministers followed suit.
To date, many of the answers provided during that 2015 sitting have not been provided to the public. To its credit, however, the HOA later conceded that answers passed non-verbally are public information, and since then it has routinely provided them — that is, until last month.
In this case, however, it is unclear if Mr. Walwyn’s answers were passed in the first place. The HOA claims never to have received them, and Opposition Leader Andrew Fahie said last week that he didn’t either. Meanwhile, Mr. Walwyn and officials in his ministry have remained mum on the matter.
We’re not sure what is going on, but we are sure that the information is of public interest: It includes plans and quotations submitted by each of the three companies that shortlist-tendered for contracts to provide the steel frame structures for the new ESHS buildings.
This information should not be difficult for the government to produce.
We also note that written answers Mr. Vanterpool promised last month to provide were not provided to the public until last week. Though late is better than never, this delay is also regrettable. Indeed, we see no reason why non-verbal answers shouldn’t be provided to the public the day they are mentioned in the House.
Going forward, Mr. Walwyn and the other ministers and their ministries should ensure that their answers are provided to the HOA straightaway. And if not, Speaker of the House Enid Moses-Scatliffe should insist on the same.
Considering the lack of freedom-of-information legislation in the territory, the transparency safeguards that do exist should be followed strictly.
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