It seems curious that about a week after The Bahamas Press Club and Save The Bays announced plans to urge the passage of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the government, through the Minister of Education, has announced consultation will begin soon.

If memory serves me correctly the first draft of a Freedom of Information Act was presented to the Attorney General for review in late 2007 or early 2008. An FOIA was passed in 2012 but was not enacted.

The present government circulated its own draft but it was considered unreasonable as it did not meet internationally acceptable standards.

So presumably the Bill that is about to be circulated has been substantially revised?

While the presentation of a useful FOIA is long overdue, the process of getting ideas put into a Bill needs to be reconsidered. Instead of consultation after the Bill is completed, it should be done first with these ideas forming the basis of what might become law.

In the United Kingdom for example their process includes a less formal “Green Paper”. This is discussed and refined and then a”White Paper” with more firm positions is circulated.

Then a Bill is formulated for presentation to Parliament etc.

When Bills are presented in their “final form” as is the norm here, confusion reigns.

Will The Bahamas ever see a FOIA and a revised process?