There is a difference between good governance — which deals with integrity, following the law and zero tolerance for corruption — and a good government. The Progressive Labour Party is firmly committed to both, and after the next election Bermudians will have a government that strives to practise the best habits of good government.

The PLP believes that accountability and fiscal responsibility are the key competences of good governance.

ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT AND FISCAL PRUDENCE

Your next PLP Government will:

• Introduce integrity in public office legislation to modernise our laws surrounding voter fraud and other aspects of our electoral and political process that are subject to abuse by those who would seek to use wealth, influence, or intimidation to obtain political power.
• Update the Ministerial Code of Conduct to ensure that the Cabinet is held to the highest ethical standards.
• Implement a Code of Conduct for members of Parliament.
• Introduce Campaign Finance Reform that will bring transparency to political donations; set caps on individual donations; oversee political spending by political parties; and examine voter fraud, conflicts of interest and other aspects of our electoral and political process that are subject to abuse by those who would seek to use wealth, influence or intimidation to obtain political or economic power.
• Enact anti-corruption legislation which will: designate an independent corruption watchdog; broaden the definition of official corruption; increase the requirements for disclosure of financial interests for politicians and senior civil servants; give the Auditor General the power to “follow the money” with government contracts; and void any contract entered into by the government which has been found to be procured via corrupt practices.
• Implement a process where initiatives/petitions that gather a certain threshold of signatures can be placed either before parliament for debate or to the country via referendum.
• Ensure that major issues are discussed in public forums and are not just limited to prepared speeches in parliament. Our public discourse does not do enough to enlighten voters about the issues, and government must do better. This will also include debates before general elections.
• Implement an interactive Citizens Forum based upon the DemocracyOS platform to engage in constructive discussion on issues and to broaden the base of consultation on matters that affect Bermudians.

BETTER GOVERNMENT

Your next PLP Government will:

• Introduce integrity in public office legislation to modernise our laws surrounding voter fraud and other aspects of our electoral and political process that are subject to abuse by those who would seek to use wealth, influence, or intimidation to obtain political power.
• Update the Ministerial Code of Conduct to ensure that the Cabinet is held to the highest ethical standards.
• Implement a Code of Conduct for members of Parliament. Introduce Campaign Finance Reform that will bring transparency to political donations; set caps on individual donations; oversee political spending by political parties; and examine voter fraud, conflicts of interest and other aspects of our electoral and political process that are subject to abuse by those who would seek to use wealth, influence or intimidation to obtain political or economic power.
• Enact anti-corruption legislation which will: designate an independent corruption watchdog; broaden the definition of official corruption; increase the requirements for disclosure of financial interests for politicians and senior civil servants; give the Auditor General the power to “follow the money” with government contracts; and void any contract entered into by the government which has been found to be procured via corrupt practices.
• Implement a process where initiatives/petitions that gather a certain threshold of signatures can be placed either before parliament for debate or to the country via referendum.
• Ensure that major issues are discussed in public forums and are not just limited to prepared speeches in parliament. Our public discourse does not do enough to enlighten voters about the issues, and government must do better. This will also include debates before general elections.
• Implement an interactive Citizens Forum based upon the DemocracyOS platform to engage in constructive discussion on issues and to broaden the base of consultation on matters that affect Bermudians.

GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY

Across-the-board cuts do not tackle inefficiency, which is the core of the problem, and they often reduce productive investment.

Your next PLP Government will make government more efficient by:

• Conducting an extensive review of the technology used within the government and funding investments to make the government more efficient and more responsive to both internal and external users via technology.
• Implementing performance-based pay for all civil servants to incentivise and reward workers for increasing department revenues, reducing department expenses, and increasing the performance and efficiency of a government department or ministry.
• Reviewing the SAGE Commission’s recommendations regarding the consolidation of government departments and ministries to implement cost savings.
• Undergoing a comprehensive review of the Public Service Commission legislation.
• Requiring all travel booked with public funds to be recorded under a business frequent flyer plan in the name of the Government of Bermuda. The benefits accumulated from this travel will be used to assist students who are recipients of training awards with the costs for their travel and to help other citizens in need.