Author: Brianna Bennett

The People’s Constitution Commission (PCC) is set to submit its final report with recommendations for constitutional reform by mid-November. The report, crafted by a diverse set of stakeholders, is based on a series of public consultations held across the country. However, the commission faced several hurdles during the process, including internal conflicts, time constraints, and financial shortages. News Five spoke with Minister of Constitutional Reform, Henry Charles Usher, to find out how these challenges impacted the commission’s work and the quality of its final recommendations.

 

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Constitutional & Political Reform

“The budget that they had presented was the budget that was approved, so I’m not sure where you got that information from they had requested an extension, the initial legislation, or the legislation called for a period of eighteen months, starting from November of 2022, so it should have been completed March of 2024, but they did request an extension to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister granted that extension up until November of 2024, in terms of additional budget, they did request an additional budget for that extension and that was also approved. I believe that they’re wrapping up now. I think the next step is for a draft to go to the stakeholders, as you would recall, there are twenty-three or so stakeholders that make up the commission. So now that they have consulted with the Belizean people, they have put all of that in summary form. It now goes back to the stakeholders for their input, and then we expect a final report very soon.”

Despite facing criticism over its execution, Minister of Constitutional Reform, Henry Charles Usher, remains confident in the success of Belize’s constitutional reform project. Usher highlights that this initiative is the first of its kind worldwide, emphasizing its groundbreaking approach. He further underscores the importance of the project’s commitment to engaging Belizeans in discussions about their constitution, despite the challenges encountered along the way.

 

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Constitutional & Political Reform

“There has always been the criticism that the government is not hearing what the people are saying. Well, this is an opportunity to hear directly from the people utilizing the, the form of the PCC. It is not about any particular commissioner with a personal agenda to come in and say this is how the constitution should look. Their job, and the job of all of the stakeholders, was to get this information from the people, report back to the government. For instance, on the issue of finance and accountability.  Do you as a Belizean citizen feel comfortable with the budget process? That is supposed to come back to the government. On the issue of the head of state, do you as a Belizean people want to see the Governor General remain the head of state, or do you want to see a shift? That is what we’re doing. It’s not for any particular individual or stakeholder to go in and try to bring their agenda or their feelings into the process. This is the People’s Constitution Commission, and I don’t think we appreciate that this is the first time in the history of the world, really, that something like this has been done. Barbados is currently in the process of rewriting their constitution, but what they have done is put together a team of lawyers stuck in a room somewhere trying to write this new constitution. They were supposed to release it in March. We’re now in October. We still have not seen that. The People’s Constitution Commission is one that it took a little longer. Why? Because that process of educating and consulting with the Belizean people is very critical.”

 

The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers Union is voicing strong opposition to a recent amendment to the K.H.M.H. Authority Act. According to a statement from the union, the amendment, read in the House of Representatives this past Friday, removes their right to representation on the Board of Governors and replaces it with a representative from the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) who cannot be a member of the KHMHA workers union. In their statement, the union expressed frustration, stating that at no point during the drafting or consideration of this amendment were they informed. They stressed that having their own representation on the board is crucial for addressing the needs of staff, as they possess direct and intimate understanding of these issues. The union is now demanding a full retraction of this amendment and the restoration of the union’s seat on the board. But that does not look like it’s happening because the government issued a statement after, explaining the decision. It said that the NTUCB encompasses several member organizations, including the K.H.M.H. workers union, to ensure that diverse employee interests are considered.

The Government of Belize is still seeking to fill the position of Auditor General, which has been open since Dorothy Bradley retired from the post. In the interim. Maria Rodriguez has been appointed as acting auditor general for four months, and the post is still being advertised. However, there are concerns that if the Auditor General is put on a contract, that oversight body might not be able to act independently, in fear of it being withdrawn. We spoke with the Minister of Public Service, Henry Charles Usher, who dismissed these concerns.

 

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service

“If that was the situation, then we would not have contracts for judges. We would not have contracts for the Contractor General. We would not have contracts for the Ombudsman’s Office. So, I don’t believe that that particular criticism would be one that we should be concerned about. What is more, what is of more concern is finding the right person for the post. Now, let me clarify, because it’s the Office of the Prime Minister, according to Section one hundred nine  of the Constitution. The Office of the Prime Minister makes a recommendation and that the Governor General appoints the Auditor General. So, it is not a regular, contractual post in the Public Service where it goes to the Public Service Commission. It goes to the Governor General upon the advice of the Prime Minister. And after, of course, consulting with the leader of the opposition. It also has to go to the National Assembly and both houses in the National Assembly for approval. What happened last week, Friday, was that section one hundred nine subsection two says that even if you appoint an acting Auditor General, it still has to go to the House. So that was taken to the House, and miss Maria Rodriguez was appointed to act in the capacity of Auditor General for a period of four months, while the vacancy is being filled, while the advertisement is still out. I’d also like to clarify that whenever, whenever there is a post in the government service, all of the vacancy advertisements look the same. This is not anything different, other than the fact that it comes from the office of the Prime Minister. But towards the end when it speaks about compensation, it speaks about the pay scale that that particular post is on and it shows the first point on the pay scale. Now the first point on the pay scale of this particular post, which is pay scale twenty-six is fifty thousand, one hundred and something. That does not mean that that is the salary that this person will receive. It just, that’s just the way that these vacancies are advertised.”

 

It’s been three years after former Auditor General Dorothy Bradley’s retirement and the Briceño is still seeking a permanent replacement. In 2021, Bradley was reappointed on a two-year contract, but this month, a temporary auditor general was appointed to fill the role for four months. As the search for a qualified candidate continues, public backlash has mounted over the absence of a succession plan. Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher addresses the concerns surrounding this issue.

 

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service

“So succession planning was an issue that we found when we came into office in November of 2020. Really, many of the very important offices, did not have proper succession plans in place. So, it’s a criticism that I will accept in terms of the Auditor General’s office. What happened was that miss Dorothy Bradley retired two years ago. She was brought back on contract for two years. The contract has come to an end and she has decided not to continue in the office. Of course, I have to  Congratulate her and thank her for her years of service, not only in the Auditor General’s office but throughout the public service, she’s served in various posts. Now we’re at the point where we’re advertising for a new Auditor General. We have individuals in the office that are going to be holding over or the Deputy Auditor General is holding over for a period of four months and then we see who applies. We’re hoping that we can get the best person for this post, somebody that has the requirements, somebody has the management capacity because that Auditor General does not only mean that you have to be a good auditor. You also have to manage that office. There are various audits that’s happening throughout the government system, and this office is responsible for all of them. It’s an issue that we have been trying to resolve at the Ministry of Public Service, looking at the human resource challenges within the Office of the Auditor General. I’m not sure if they didn’t have anything at all to do. It’s very rare that a public officer has nothing to do at all. But I do believe that there could have been more tasks assigned to these individuals. And that’s why I said whoever assumes the post of Auditor General also has to be a good manager, has to be a good human resource manager in terms of being able to task out the different auditors within the office to go and do the different audits. So it is a challenge that we’ve been working from the ministry’s perspective. But, we also have to be careful not to interfere too much in the independence of that office. Because remember, that office is an independently established office under the constitution, so it’s not like we can go in and just dictate how their operations are supposed to be done. We can’t go in and tell the Auditor General’s office, oh, you have to do these audits. They have an audit plan, they carry out that audit plan, and in terms of their operational objectives, that’s something that the Auditor General herself or himself would have to do. But in terms of the issue that you raised just now, it was one that came to our attention, and we were trying to intervene, yes.”

The Government of Belize has launched a new initiative titled “Strengthening Governance for Transparency and Accountability in Belize.” Developed through collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service, the US Embassy, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the program aims to improve good governance and strengthen the fight against corruption.  News Five’s Britney Gordon looks at the pros and cons.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

On Monday, the Ministry of Public Service kicked off its annual Anti-Corruption Month, emphasising the importance of government transparency and strengthening the fight against corruption. Today, the launch of the Good Governance Program further reinforced this mission. Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher outlined the goals of the new initiative.

 

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Servoce

“There are many objectives, but the key core objectives are one, to build capacity in the public service when it comes to good governance issues, two, to build capacity as well and to do administrative law training for the Public Service Commission, for admin officers, CEOs.  And three, the ultimate objective is to build and develop the good governance agenda. So this project funds coming from  CARSI, is hoping to achieve those over the next twenty-four months.”

 

Earlier this year, the government received a two hundred fifty-thousand dollar grant to adapt solutions to address anti-corruption through the passage of legislation and capacity building of government entities. It focuses on building the capacity of public servants, civil society, academia, and media while strengthening the Public Service Commission’s ability to handle regulatory violations. The Good Governance Unit in Belize worked closely with the United Nations Development Program to create the project. Michael Lund, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, told us that the launch of the project aligned with the celebration of International United Nations Day.

 

Michael Lund, Dep. Resident Rep., UNDP

 “On this UN day, the twenty-fourth of October that we are celebrating United Nations development program is present in the one hundred seventy countriesand territories. And we have been in Belize for over thirty years. Where we support mainly now the beliefs in good governance and inclusive growth as one area and climate change as the other area. Those are our big focus areas. So this project or this project that we are launching today really fits in with the good governance portfolio that we’re having where we are trying to support the government in strengthening its good governance institutions and anti corruption efforts.”

 

By promoting behavioural change and accountability, the initiative seeks to enhance transparency, reduce corruption, and build public trust in government institutions. A monitoring and evaluation process will be set up to assess the progress of the project.

 

Michael Lund

“So this has a twenty-four month timeline and what we’re trying to do is strengthen the capacities through training and institution building on  twofold. One is the internal institutions and government that keeps a check  on on good processes and ethics in the civil service.  the other part is to train and be part of the civil society and the media. So you as watchdogs can keep an eye on the government, can keep an eye on the public service so we can help make sure that it’s clean, not corrupt, and as efficient as possible.”

 

The final phase of the project will be to create a National Good Governance Agenda to guide the next five years of governing to ensure that good governance remains consistent. Britney Gordon for News Five.