Responding to a challenge from Bermuda Broadcasting, new OBA Leader Ben Smith agrees to have his MPs and Senators annually update the public on their financial interests
‘What’s in it for them?’
…that’s a question often asked about politicians, sometimes accompanied by speculation and even conspiracy theories about backroom deals and conflicts of interest.
New OBA Leader Ben Smith says that he doesn’t want the public looking at him and his team and thinking they are gaining because of politics. Therefore, he accepted a challenge from Bermuda Broadcasting to have his MPs and Senators update their Register of Interests every year.
The Register of Interests was set up following a long-running campaign by former UBP MP and Attorney General under the OBA, Trevor Moniz.
MPs and Senators fill out the Register to provide information on any monetary interests that could be perceived to potentially influence their parliamentary actions.
Some of the Registers have not been updated for several years. Premier David Burt’s, Wayne Furbert’s, Kim Swan’s, and Diallo Rabain’s date back to 2018 or earlier.
However, such Registers may not need to be updated if nothing has changed.
All the same, Ben Smith recently lauded the OBA’s principles of ‘honesty, integrity, and transparency’, so Gary Foster Skelton challenged him to try and leave no room for doubt…
WATCH the interview above. The FULL interview with Ben Smith is available HERE and below…
