Former Deputy Premier Sean Astwood hasraised concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in thecurrent government, pointing to the inconsistent publication of Cabinet minutesand a recent decision to increase retirement allowances for former legislators.Astwood criticized the government for failing to uphold the practice ofpublishing Cabinet minutes, a key measure for ensuring public accountability.Although the government briefly resumed posting the minutes following publiccriticism, they have once again stopped, with no records available for thelatter half of 2023. Of particular concern to Astwood is a 20% increase inretirement allowances for former legislators, a decision he says was buried inan "information dump" of four months’ worth of Cabinet minutes—an acthe suspects was designed to avoid public scrutiny ahead of the elections.

Astwood emphasized that transparency andaccountability are pillars of democracy and essential for maintaining publictrust. He called on the government to resume consistently posting Cabinetminutes, provide a full justification for the increase in retirementallowances, and ensure clarity in how Cabinet decisions are documented to avoidfavoritism or confusion. Astwood also criticized the inconsistency in howgovernment contracts are reported in Cabinet minutes, arguing that this lack ofuniformity fosters public distrust. He stressed that the electorate has theright to be informed about decisions that impact national resources andgovernance, especially when those decisions involve taxpayer funds.

As a former Deputy Premier and currentAt-Large candidate for the upcoming general elections, Astwood has been a vocaladvocate for transparency, good governance, and public accountability. Knownfor championing small businesses and advancing the use of technology to improvecitizens’ lives, he reaffirmed that accountability is not a partisan issue buta fundamental principle of democratic governance. Astwood urged the governmentto rebuild public trust through proactive measures and transparent decision-making,ensuring that critical information is accessible to all Turks and CaicosIslanders.