Premier Ewart Brown welcomes Sunshine Week and the principle of open government it represents — but last night he was unwilling to say when Bermuda would get a public access to information law.

Dr. Brown has pledged his commitment to PATI previously — an idea which his party set in motion five years ago under former Premier Alex Scott. But despite a comprehensive discussion paper on the topic being published in 2005, legislation has yet to be drafted and go before MPs.

This newspaper's A Right to Know: Giving People Power campaign calls for a PATI law to be passed this year and for Government and other publicly-funded bodies to become more transparent and hence accountable.

Dr. Brown told The Royal Gazette yesterday that the law would happen but that it would take time. "It always takes a significant amount of time to draft new legislation and PATI legislation is even more laborious than most because it's such a comprehensive task," he said.

"Nonetheless, the process of making it a reality is happening consistently and without fanfare – alongside a litany of other government business."

This week The Royal Gazette is asking readers to celebrate Sunshine Week — an American initiative aimed at opening up debate on freedom of information.

Asked if he supported the idea, Dr. Brown, a former US citizen, said: "We welcome Sunshine Week and the principle it represents."

But he added: "We just wish your newspaper brought it to the public's attention under a Government that had not already committed to making PATI legislation a reality.

"The people of Bermuda have shown a desire for greater access to information and because they are the ones we serve, we have been committed to this effort since the day it was launched."

Dr. Brown also gave his view of Senator David Burch's comments on our campaign in the Senate last week, when the Home Affairs Minister described calls for more transparency as "foolishness".

"As the country knows, Minister Burch is a strong advocate of freedom, justice and equality so he is obviously committed to the passage of PATI legislation," said the Premier.

"I interpreted his 'foolishness' remark as a description of the politics behind the issue. On that, he and I are in total agreement.

"The development of PATI legislation has been promised by this Government and it will be delivered – not because of a newspaper campaign but because we talked to our constituents and they have shown a desire for greater access to information. After all, we serve Bermudians first, not newspaper reporters."