I wrote in the foreword to the discussion paper on Public Access To Information (PATI) in the House of Assembly that in the 2003 Speech from the Throne, the Government outlined that it "would examine proposals for PATI, or what is more commonly known around the world as 'freedom of information legislation'". It was my view, at that time and now, that this is an idea whose time has both come — and almost passed — here in Bermuda.

Originating in Sweden in 1776, today the notion that there should be the greatest possible flow of information between a Government and the people (it serves) is an established principle in over 50 countries.

Article 19, UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 declared: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

Consequently, the notion of free access to information from governments has been claiming converts daily in the halls of power. Around the globe democracies are adopting, with each succeeding election and administration, PATI or a similar legislative construct.

Indeed, while there are those within and outside of governments that would, and do argue that freedom of information legislation is both a time-consuming and costly exercise which encourages the mischievous elements in society to bedevil their respective governments; in fact, more often than not, the record will show that in practise the contrary is true!

It should suffice to cite only the tenet of good governance to support a policy of "open government", freedom of information, PATI.

However to some, the discussion or proposition of PATI raises the spectre of the press or member(s) of the public being empowered to 'nose' through government files like bloodhounds; to hunt and seize upon every morsel of information as if it were 'raw meat'! Again, to their way of thinking, these 'information-hound-dogs' will prey upon government files as if they were a carcass, with the intent of rooting out and laying bare the public record just to embarrass its custodians.

I have a word of comfort for those of us entrusted with the responsibility of our separate parliaments (here and abroad) that PATI and companion pieces of legislation and policy could inoculate us from the inquisition we tend to dread.

In practise the more open the government (speaking generally), the greater the trust level between the 'fourth estate' (press), the public, and government.

Over time the freedom to pursue and receive information from its government has seen community after community accept the practise and the government that supports a policy of openness as a show of good faith. The result is that the media and public use PATI to confirm and clarify government pronouncements as opposed to using it as a tool to confront and confound their respective parliaments and parliamentarians.

It leads to the maturing of the press, parliamentarian and populace — all concerned — in time all participants are winners potentially!

Simply stated the more open the government — the greater the support and trust from the very advocates who in earlier times used misstatements, misinformation, and half-truths to frustrate the will of the Government of the day. The discussion shifts from the failure or reluctance of a government to release or reveal information to the facts that authored the data; the government who is the keeper of the files invariably can provide more answers than there are questions — and the media are then compelled to report those facts; thereby ensuring a more informed public. Generally speaking the implementation of PATI introduces an era of greater cooperation and empathy of one time antagonists.

Surely, here in Bermuda, if only some progress could be made in this direction it would make a valuable contribution toward easing the divide caused by a Westminster parliamentary system that frequently sets one segment of our small (and already fractured) community against each other.

* The Honourable W. Alex Scott JP MP is former Premier of Bermuda and now a Government backbench MP.