Renewed call for integrity law to be proclaimed

THREE YEARS after the Integrity in Public Life Bill was passed by Parliament, the Government’s failure to proclaim the legislation continues to draw criticism from transparency advocates, including chairman of Integrity Group Barbados, Andy Armstrong.

Armstrong, whose organisation monitors and promotes standards of good governance, says the long delay in bringing the law into force risks undermining public trust and raises questions about the Government’s commitment to anticorruption reform. “We’re now coming up on two years since it was passed, and while we know things in Barbados sometimes take a while, I would have expected we’d be further along by now,” Armstrong told the DAILY NATION.

The Integrity in Public Life Act,

passed in 2022, includes key provisions such as mandatory asset declarations by senior officials, whistleblower protection and the establishment of an Integrity Commission empowered to investigate complaints. It was promoted by the Barbados Labour Party as a central element of its good governance agenda following the 2018 General Election.

Yet despite its passage, the proposed legislation remains unproclaimed, meaning it has no legal effect. Armstrong said the delay, while perhaps the result of genuine logistical challenges, cannot continue without explanation.

“We understand that Government had to put quite a few things in place before proclamation – such as setting up the Integrity Commission and training civil servants, who will be significantly impacted by the new rules. But at this point, the public deserves a proper update,” he said.

In a statement issued by Integrity Group Barbados in April 2023, the organisation stressed that the Act was “critical in completing the suite of laws necessary to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of those suspected of corrupt acts”. Armstrong pointed out at the time that the majority of CARICOM countries had already enacted similar legislation and that Barbados was “overdue” in doing so.

Law’s status

Now, more than a year later, Armstrong says the silence surrounding the law’s status is growing more troubling.

“I probably would have to speak to whoever has responsibility for this now – perhaps the Attorney General or ultimately the Prime Minister. But we haven’t given up hope,” he said. “We haven’t abandoned the thought that it may still happen, but the longer it takes, the more it erodes public confidence.”

Asked whether he believed an explanation was owed to Barbadians, Armstrong replied: “That would be good. This was one of the main platforms on which the 2018 election was won. It would be important to understand where we are with that promise. “Passing a law is one thing, but without proclamation and enforcement, it’s just words on paper.”

When contacted over the weekend, Attorney General Dale Marshall said he was out of the island and therefore unable to respond at that point. (CLM)

(FP)