Premier Ewart Brown yesterday celebrated the opening of the meetings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to the public.

While the meetings have long been held in private, Dr. Brown said that opening the meetings is part of the PLP's pledge to operate in the "sunshine of the public scrutiny."

"The PLP as a long-standing champion for fair and honest government, is proud to have introduced this form of openness to Bermuda," Dr Brown said.

The public meeting will give people their first chance to watch the group of five MP's discuss how public money is being spent.

Dr. Brown said yesterday: "When they had the opportunity, the UBP talked about openness and transparency but practised opacity and secrecy.

"When the PLP got the opportunity, we didn't just talk openness and transparency, we acted on it. Promise made, promise kept."

The idea of opening meetings of the PAC has been discussed for several years, with this newspaper's A Right To Know: Giving People Power campaign calling for parliamentary meetings to be held in public since January 2008.

Standing Orders passed earlier allowed the Committee to decide if it would open itself to the public.

An early draft of the orders, drawn up by Dame Jennifer Smith and Opposition MP John Barritt would have kept the meetings private.

At that time, Mr. Barritt said the UBP members of the committee supported opening meetings to the public, but PLP members had argued against it.

Government MP and Committee member Walter Lister at that time said the meetings should remain private, saying: "Those people asking for change had 30 years to change it and they didn't because they loved it. I love it as well."

PAC Chairman and UBP MP Bob Richards announced the meetings would be opened to the public on Monday, after the committee voted unanimously in favour of the idea.

Mr. Richards said: "I am very pleased, because on our side, we have wanted this for a long time. I'm fortunately in the chair when this is happening."

The PAC will publicly meet for the first time today at 2.30 in the Senate Chamber.