US Consul General Gregory Slayton has told how transparency laws help remind the US Government of its need to be a servant of the people.

Speaking as The Royal Gazette launched its A Right To Know: Giving People Power campaign for freedom of information laws in Bermuda, Mr. Slayton reflected on the impact of similar legislation introduced to the States more than 40 years ago.

Mr. Slayton said: "In the US, it's certainly been positive. It's helped them stay on their toes.

"If you are a government employee, senior, middle or junior, you know that what you are doing is eventually going to be accessible — everything about it. That's a good thing.

"The whole deal goes back to the idea government needs to be a servant of the people."

His comments echo former Premier Alex Scott's call for FOI legislation in Bermuda.

Yesterday, as this newspaper launched its campaign to throw open the doors of Government and publicly funded groups to give the people of Bermuda access to information that shapes their lives, Progressive Labour Party backbencher Mr. Scott said: "This is not an anti-government exercise. It's a pro-democracy vehicle for the public that we serve.

"The Government serves the public, serves the people. Access to information, especially in this day and age, is fundamental to good governance. It is their information, not our information."

A Right To Know calls for Premier Ewart Brown and his Government to return plans first introduced by Mr. Scott in 2003 for public access to information (PATI) to the top of the PLP's agenda.

We have asked to see a commitment in this year's Throne Speech — due to be delivered on February 1 — to table a PATI bill in the House of Assembly this year.

The US Freedom of Information Act, signed into law in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson, was one of a string of measures to increase the openness and transparency of government.

It enables citizens and journalists to examine government activity to detect political corruption — or to allow them to have input into government decisions that affect them. Further laws, including open records legislation, were passed in the 1970s in the wake of Watergate.

The most recent FOI legislation in the States came at the end of 2007, when US president George Bush approved a bill to increase penalties for agencies and government contractors who do not respond to requests for information within 20 days.

President Bush also created the Office of Government Information Services in the National Archives and Records Administration, established a tracking system and hotline for parties requesting government information, and waived fees if federal agencies miss the 20-day reply period. Mr. Slayton added: "(In the US) it's made a big difference in various obvious ways, where Government has to respond, open its files, unless it's classed as top secret. I'm all in favour of that for all citizens.

"There are some times when people tie up huge amounts of Government resources with requests, so you have to be careful.

"The general idea is clearly very very positive, to make Government accountable and responsible to citizens and taxpayers. Who can argue with that?"

Meanwhile Anglican Bishop of Bermuda Ewen Ratteray stressed the importance of transparency and accountability across Government and public bodies. "They have been put in that position by others, by the public, and they are responsible to those people," said Bishop Ratteray.

Asked if he believed transparency and accountability of Government and public bodies were in place in Bermuda, the Bishop replied: "Sometimes no, sometimes yes. I don't want to go into specific instances, but there have been occasions when things have, say, gone wrong and people have not owned up to it — unlike other jurisdictions, where someone resigns. So the saga goes on and it's never properly resolved. We all know instances where that's been the case.

"I think if someone has done something, especially betrayed trust in some fashion, they need to say sorry, I won't do it again. Nobody ever resigns for anything.

"Nobody ever admits to making mistakes. That's not really on, I don't think. We can do better and we deserve better. It's taxpayers' money. If there are any gaps (in accountability legislation), they need to be plugged so that all our people, especially those in Government, can be held to account for what they do."

What are your thoughts on freedom of information? Have you been successful or unsuccessful trying to get information you believe you have a right to know? E-mail arighttoknow@royalgazette.bm, write a letter to the editor or call us on 278-0155 or 278-8359 to share your stories or let us know what you think of the campaign.