For nearly a year, the Bahamian people have been waiting for a promise to be honored.
The Independent Commission of Investigations Act was passed by Parliament almost a year ago. It was introduced as a vital step toward restoring public trust, creating an independent mechanism to investigate serious allegations of misconduct by public officials and members of law enforcement. Yet, the Attorney General admits that the government is still “working through” an implementation plan with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of National Security. After twelve months, that explanation is not credible. This delay is clearly a political choice.
This matters because the government did not hesitate when it came time to pass the law. In Parliament, confident assurances were given. Prime Minister Davis declared that the commission would be “truly independent” and beyond political direction, even from a prime minister. Those words raised expectations across the country and yet today, that promise exists only on paper. An institution described as independent cannot remain indefinitely subject to political timelines.
The context surrounding this legislation makes the delay even more troubling. The Act was brought forward following United States indictments alleging corruption involving members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. These were not rumors or partisan accusations, they were formal allegations in a U.S. court that accused public officials of abusing their positions to facilitate the movement of cocaine through The Bahamas into the United States. In that environment, every month without an operational commission is a month without accountability.
What we are witnessing is not simply delay. It is selective urgency, and it exposes this government’s true priorities.
When it comes to transparency, oversight, and independent investigation, this administration drags its feet. Timelines become vague and responsibility is spread so thin that no one appears accountable. Yet when it comes to legislation that expands authority, advances controversial projects, or benefits political interests, urgency suddenly appears. Bills are rushed through Parliament with limited consultation. Concerns from citizens and stakeholders are brushed aside.
A government genuinely committed to good governance would move swiftly to establish bodies designed to hold it accountable. This government has done the opposite.
An independent commission that exists only in legislation, but not in reality, offers no protection to the public. Accountability delayed is accountability denied.
The time for explanations has passed. The Bahamian people are no longer interested in what the government says it intends to do; they want a government that will act.
This government must state, clearly and publicly, when the Independent Commission of Investigations will be established, who will be appointed to serve, how it will be funded, and when it will begin its work.
The Free National Movement will continue to demand answers, because democracy does not survive on promises alone.
If the government truly believes in transparency, it should have no fear of action. Promises are no longer enough. The Bahamian people deserve institutions that work, laws that are enforced, and accountability that exists in real time, not “in due course.”