Patrick Faber Defends NICH Prez: but CWU Also Comes Out Against Sapna Budhrani

Sapna Budhrani

NICH President, Sapna Budhrani, has come under fire for her performance, or lack of it, at the job she took over in April.  Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Patrick Faber held a press conference to discuss the future of the Municipal Fair on September Tenth. We’ll share that with you later but Faber took the opportunity to respond to comments made by Music Ambassador Shyne Barrow against Budhrani. Barrow questioned her qualification for the post as well as the fact that she also administrator. Today, Barrow’s sentiments were endorsed by the Christian Workers Union. According to the CWU, union members at the Institute of Archaeology have also expressed their frustration by the extremely slow progress on proposals before Budhrani. The release says, “Promised reforms, including salary scales with performance-based increments, remain unfulfilled. NICH staff members have long spoken of a lack of proper accountability and transparency.”  The CWU also accuses Budhrani of being dismissive and disrespectful, stating that some staff members have resigned as a result. Today, despite mounting allegations of mismanagement, Faber defended the NICH president, saying that the comments by the musical ambassador are unsubstantiated.

Patrick Faber, Minister of Culture

“All I’ll say on the matter is that it is unfortunate that those comments were made. I think my record as a minister in this government of the U.D.P. under Prime Minister Barrow speaks for itself, in terms of the portfolios that I manage. I often do my best, always do my best, to ensure that we have accountability and good capable leadership and I continue to say that I have utmost confidence in Sapna Budhrani’s leadership there. Now that leadership might not go well for some people who have an agenda and where it is that she is firm and trying to put in place good, strong policies that will uplift the institution. In the past we have had those issues of mismanagement and not having the proper accountability. And that is what she is tasked to do. All I’ll say is that I will continue to have that kind of confidence in her leadership and again the comments made by the musical ambassador were rather unfortunate. Miss Budhrani does not operate on her own; there is an active board at NICH where she is given advice and in fact the president is answerable to the minister. So whatever they’re accusing Miss Budhrani of, they really should be accusing me of. And I can tell you, and again I think my record speaks, I am all about being accountable to the people and trying to ensure that those services are offered in the best possible way.”