Dear Editor,
I see the GRA wants access to the citizenry’s data from private commercial banks. I have no problem with that provided it is done transparently and fairly, for proper purposes and there are safeguards to prevent the use of that information for witch-hunting, political reprisals, personal vendettas and even for that information to be used to criminally target the public. This could be a good move to combat tax evasion, money laundering and other illicit activities. But what about the other side of the equation? Why can’t the public get access to GRA’s data, and I don’t mean the personal information of its customers but the general non-personal data which could be analyzed to see whether this public institution is performing creditably or wasting taxpayers’ resources? Some GRA data can only be released with the permission of the President. It is that ludicrous.
In fact, it should be a two-way street for every public agency where the public should get the ability to access and investigate these agencies in return for surrendering its privacy and confidentiality. As it stands, this government is dancing into the arms of a frightening tendency to secrecy married to a callous and disturbing belligerence in defending that furtiveness. It has to find balance in these moves.
Yours faithfully,
M. Maxwell
