Usher says Auditor General’s Position not Hindered by a Contract

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Auditor General is put on a contract, that oversight body might not be able to act independently, in fear of it being withdrawn.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.”