The Bermuda Progressive Labour Party believes that political corruption in any form, and regardless of the political affiliation of the offenders, must be exposed and punished to the full extent of the law. As leaders, this is the standard we must set and as Bermudians concerned about the wellbeing of our Island and our people, this is the value system we must all embrace.

Politicians that reach into the people’s “cookie jar” not only are an affront to good governance, honesty and integrity, but also contribute to government waste, loss of investor confidence and global reputational damage.

Corruption in government should be unacceptable to all right-thinking people, regardless of political affiliation.

Bermuda is not another world when it comes to greed and corruption, so we must remain vigilant and defend our country against the rise of a systemic, corrupt political culture.

As the government, the PLP introduced tougher sanctions against politicians convicted of bribery or corruption, yet it is evident that these tougher penalties are no deterrent to individuals determined to break the law and enrich themselves at taxpayers’ expense. Further strengthening of our anti-corruption laws is urgently needed.

The PLP proposes:

1, Introduction of anti-corruption legislation which will create an independent corruption watchdog; broaden the definition of official corruption; increase the requirements for disclosure of financial interests for politicians and senior civil servants; give the Auditor-General the power to “follow the money”; increase prison sentences and fines for official corruption; and void any contract entered into by the Government that has been found to be procured via corrupt practices

2, The introduction of campaign finance reform to create greater openness and transparency surrounding financial contributions to political parties and the expenditures of political parties. The people of Bermuda should know who bankrolls our political parties and how those funds are spent

3, Government procurement reform with the introduction of legislation mandating open and transparent tendering processes, which have been ignored in the airport project, and the tabling in Parliament of any contract in excess of $50,000

Corruption can be avoided if we are prepared to reform our laws, modernise our approach and send a clear message that “cookie-jar politics” have no place in Bermuda. Period.