Good governance, Tranpararency, Accountability and Integrity are at the core of how we do things in PPOD. When a government displays behaviours of lack of accountability, even a perception of a lack of accountability, threatens ones faith in the legal framework which should be designed to protect the innocent majority when things go wrong. One of our goals is to position our government to deliver the benefits of transparency and accountability through reform of Company Filing Requirements in Dominica. In light of recent events, and more to come with the Panama Papers hot of the press, PPOD would like to make a statement addressing some of the steps as a Government, Dominica needs to take moving forward. The Government of Dominica should require much higher levels of transparency in terms of who owns and controls companies registered in our country. Our economic state can no longer afford not to be transparent. The government must stop trading longterm gains for short term fixes. Our citizens are tired of being in the dark. DLP & UWP have chosen control over sharing, and ask for forgiveness after the fact rather than permission first. The memo that they were elected to serve the people of Dominica seemed to have washed away during our many hurricanes and storms. The Government of Dominica should establish a central, registry that publicly disclose beneficial ownership information. This will help the police, appropriate authorities, journalists, and other governments to do their job and help investors and citizens know who is behind the companies they invest in or buy from. PPOD supports the initiative to create a Global Public Beneficial Ownership Registry, which can be populated by individual government-held beneficial ownership information. Additionally, PPOD believes that professional enablers that are found to be complicit in corruption must be sanctioned. The Government of Dominica should fully comply with international standards to require professionals in the fields of law and accountancy, real estate, as well as company formation agents and bankers to have in place anti-money laundering procedures and be required by law to report any suspicions of money laundering. Furthermore, the government of Dominica should establish more effective oversight and sanctions for the above sectors. Professional bodies should withdraw professional licenses from those implicated in wrongdoing. Such professionals should be barred from practicing in Dominica and registering new companies in the future in such sector. The government of Dominica should require any company bidding for public contracts or purchasing property to disclose on whose behalf they are operating. This information needs to be readily available to the general public. Governments should require any company, whether incorporated domestically or in a foreign jurisdiction to be transparent about who is ultimately in control of the company. This would help to put additional pressure on companies to be more transparent in order to qualify for lucrative government contracts. It is time we end secrecy in the financial system. It is time decisive actions to close the loopholes that the corrupt use. Our goal is to restore, build and safeguard trust amongst the citizens of Dominica. Trust matters and is vital to our economic growth. PPOD recognizes this fact and so as a Government, we must be accountable to those we serve and for our actions and inactions, we must be transparent in all we do, we must lead with integrity and in the best interest of our country and it's people first and foremost. The Government must take the steps necessary to support the business environment and must do so in an effective manner, transparent and at the same time reasonable. PPOD will not allow Dominica to be a safehaven to the corrupt. Over the last three plus decades, we have felt the negative impact of governments that lack of transparency. PPOD will not encourage nor support persons, and/or organizations who are not of good moral character, tax evaders, money launderers and definitely will not encourage an environment where terrorist financing will flourish. PPOD is about change, change for the better.