The Unions Also Call for the Removal of Auditor General, Central Bank Governor

Dorothy Bradley

The unions also referenced the Ministry of Natural Resources which has been famously described as a “hotbed of corruption.”  They called for the replacement of Central Bank Governor Joy Grant, whose critical role, they say, is to ensure that the country does not lead down a path of debt unsustainability and mismanagement.  Also, they are asking for the replacement of Auditor General, Dorothy Bradley, who has “failed to address and audit those high risk ministries in government in government in which corruption has thrived and continue to thrive.”

Dean Flowers

Dean Flowers, 1st Vice President, P.S.U.

“When last have you seen an audit report coming out of the lands department which from 2008 when the Barrow administration took over, we’ve been hearing has been the hottest bed of corruption? Why hasn’t the auditor general gone to the lands department since 2008 when the fire sale of properties was discovered under the previous administration to identify the leakages and to continue monitor that department? We know that there have been every year, somebody ina di Treasury Department get ketch di pay dead people pension. Why hasn’t that loophole been plugged? We talk about ghost workers on the payroll. Who is auditing the government’s staff list? Who is auditing the government’s payroll? You have dead people, not only on government pension, but dead people di collect salaries every fifteenth and ending. That’s the role of the auditor general; that dah wi last backstop. And you’ll always hear the excuses. Well we noh have this and that. Well that’s neither here or there; you are being paid to do a job. We believe that better competence is out there where the Central Bank governor is concerned. And so we are asking, look; make we get competent people in place. This cronyism that resulted in that appointment because we respect the governor, but we don’t believe she has the kind of experience and competence to make fiscal and monetary policies for the country. So we are saying let’s make the tough decisions as well and put in place the right people that could lead us forward.”

The unions are also asking for an assessment of the Accountant General’s office in managing and producing timely and accurate financial statements. In its proposal to the government, the unions question the competence of the Accountant General and her support staff saying, the department has “failed to do property and timely reconciliation of government accounts showing government’s financial position.”