The next time you?re in TCD waiting to fork out your taxes to the Government, take a look at the notice posted on the window of every kiosk.

This seemingly innocuous note states that every payment made to the Accountant General must be confirmed by a receipt. Those are the Government?s words, not mine.

Move on to Parliament on Friday when we heard that ?we don?t have to receipt each and every item?. This statement was delivered in an attempt to fend off the lingering and unanswered questions over the billing practices ? or lack thereof, at the Berkeley construction site. Those were the Premier?s words, not mine.

So let?s get this straight. When you, the taxpayer, renew your driver?s licence ? a transaction typically costing $90 and taking almost as long as the Berkeley project will take to complete ? you?ll receive a receipt. But when the contractor at Bermuda?s largest capital project is involved in a $700,000 transaction ? necessary to secure the $70 million contract, the Government doesn?t require a receipt or any proof of payment whatsoever.

And so the standoff between the Government and the Auditor continues. The Auditor is now resorting to legal action to unearth the financial details of a taxpayer-funded project. This obstruction is more shocking when you consider that the Attorney General?s office ? you know, the politically appointed PLP one ? indicated that it was inappropriate to withhold information requested by the Auditor.

This obstruction flies in the face of the Scott Government?s own words in the 2003 Throne Speech. ?Fairness, openness, and accountability will represent the bedrock of this Government...? we were told before proposing that transparency is ?a virtue of governance in Bermuda? and that ?the Government will review proposals for the establishment of Public Access to Information Legislation. This legislation will establish guidelines for certain documents and government information to be made available to the public.?

Sadly this appears to be more empty rhetoric ? classic Alex Scott spin ? not a commitment from a reformed Government.

The Auditor General is our representative, monitoring the integrity of the public purse, and by extension the integrity of our politicians. Why then, if the Government is committed to public access to information, is he still fighting for a simple piece of information?

Perhaps it?s because this will open a Pandora?s Box of misrepresentations and financial shenanigans unprecedented in Bermuda politics. Perhaps our current Government has forgotten that they were elected to serve us, not the other way around. Perhaps it?s a combination of both.

After two elections and six years in power, the PLP is acting more like an anointed monarch rather than an elected and accountable Government. One of the hallmarks of a reputable modern democracy is the accountability of its elected officials. Additionally, it doesn?t help us in combating external attacks, portraying us a shady tax haven when our Government unrepentantly plays fast and loose with the public purse.

Things don?t seem set to improve with the individual who presided over this debacle being rewarded for his efforts with a promotion to Premier in July, 2003.

Shortly after Alex Scott?s ascendance to the Premiership, he embarked on a charm offensive in the media. It was an attempt to restore confidence in the Government after the tumultuous leadership crisis and rebuild his credibility after the Berkeley fiasco. The ever-forgiving Bermudian people were willing to give another chance, as seen in initial high approval ratings and a community pulling together post-Fabian. Today, those poll numbers and the credibility of Bermuda?s Government are deteriorating rapidly.

The born-again Premier had wisely attempted to leave his record behind, speaking little of his signature project.

What few comments the Premier did make were light-hearted, trying to put a kinder gentler face on the PLP?s most proficient and ruthless spin doctor. All that changed on Friday when the UBP forced his hand with the Berkeley motion, in the absence of the Minister of Works and Engineering.

As recently as August, 2003 the Premier said that ?I may have on occasion been less than kind to the Auditor General?.

One could be forgiven for concluding that Mr. Scott may be being less than honest with the people who he serves.