BELIZE CITY, Mon. Feb. 14, 2022– This past week, the new members of the Integrity Commission were selected and their names forwarded to the Governor General. In a brief interview with local media, Prime Minister John Briceño shared that those names included Zoey Zetina, Rick Moguel, and Andrea McSweaney McKoy, who is set to become the chairperson of the Commission. In regards to when the Integrity Commission will be fully operational, the PM stated that it’s now only a matter of waiting for the Governor General to send out the actual Instrument of the appointments.
Established under the Prevention of Corruption in Public Life Act, the Integrity Commission plays a vital role in monitoring, preventing, and combating corruption. The commission examines declarations of physical assets and financial positions filed by public officers and is also able to investigate allegations of corruption made against those public officers. President of the Public Service Union (PSU), Dean Flowers shared his thoughts on the selection of new members, stating that while the PSU is pleased with the move, there is still much more to be done. Flowers expressed disappointment in the fact that, within the Government’s supplementary allocations, there have been no provisions for the strengthening of the Commission.
“What we’re not pleased about is that there is nothing in the 200 million, almost approximately 200 million appropriation that has gone through the House over the last four months, there is nothing in there to empower the Integrity Commission. Absolutely nothing in there to make that Commission independent with the kind of experts that they will need to help support them to watch over and to keep in check our elected representatives,” he stated.
And while the Government has been able to select new members for the Integrity Commission, the position of Auditor General is still vacant two months after Ms. Dorothy Bradley’s retirement in December 2021. According to the Prime Minister, the Government has been facing some challenges in finding a suitable replacement for Ms. Bradley and is considering offering Ms. Bradley an additional one-year contract while they continue their search.
“We have been having some issues in trying to find an adequate replacement. And it speaks no ill will about the people that are there presently, but we believe that they may need a little bit more experience,” said the Prime Minister.
The PSU, however, is completely opposed to the idea of retaining the former Auditor General on a contract. The basis of their objection to this, said President Flowers, is that the security of tenure, or rather the uncertainty that comes with being on a contract, can affect the judgement of those who should be holding the government to task. Additionally, Flowers expressed his own personal lack of confidence in the former Auditor General.
“The former Auditor General has served. She has left a lot to be desired in terms of the quantity and quality of work that should have been produced from that office. We are fully aware that it is not solely her fault. It had to do with the Ministry of Finance, the Accountant General’s office, who had to prepare financials for her to review. But with all that, where she has left us is unable to produce an audit of the hot-bed of corruption which started, I don’t know, some 10 years ago. Under no circumstances can the union support any extension of employment for the former Auditor General. We believe there are more technically sound, more knowledgeable, more experienced, and more competent auditors out there that can fill the post,” stated Flowers.
“We do not, and we place on record, that we do not support the renewing or the issuing of a contract to retired public officers,” he added, noting that the PSU plans to submit their stance in writing to the Prime Minister.
Flowers also stated that the PSU was taken aback by the Prime Minister’s comment that the Government cannot find a suitable candidate for the Auditor General post, pointing out that they have not yet issued an advertisement for the post of Auditor General.
“The Ministry of Public Service is the Ministry responsible for vacancies. And I can say that at the meeting with the Ministry of Public Service, which was two weeks ago, we were informed categorically that they’re putting together the advertisement for the post of Auditor General. So if you have not advertised the post, how can you come to the Belizean public and say that there is nobody suitable to fill that post?” said Flowers.
The PSU has also issued a call for the strengthening of the Auditor General’s office and for a salary increase for the post, something else which, Flowers noted, was not included in the Government’s supplementary appropriation bill.