Part 1 of 3
(CMR) The Leader of the Opposition, The Honourable Ezzard Miller, is asking for the Unity Government and public service to act in accordance with the laws and principles of good governance for its projects and contractual agreements.
In a statement issued today he states that legislation passed with the intent of safeguarding integrity and good governance are either not fully implemented or not being followed. He surmised:
“The impact of this non-compliance is that solid principles of procurement and good governance are not being observed, and the necessary accountability for and management of Government resources are consequently being undermined.”
Miller, who is the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, noted that in his role of scrutinizing and holding the government and civil servants accountable he had concerns about a number of pieces of legislation.
His press released then focused on The Public Authorities Law (2017), The Standards in Public Life Law and The Procurement Law (2016) as examples to prove his point.
The Public Authorities Law, 2017
He explains that this law which was passed in April of last year but only came into force in June 2018 aims to “to establish an overarching system of governance, accountability and management for public authorities”.
The laws sets out the roles and responsibilities of the Cabinet, ministers, chief executive officers, and boards. It also details all of the personnel management requirements with an overarching remit of “open and fair processes in personnel” recruitment and management.
However, he asserts that these processes are being ignored citing the recent appointment of the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange CEO, former politician Marco Archer, as a prime example. With Archer's appointment Miller contents that:
“Many of these requirements are simply being ignored, Mr. Miller said. As an example, he said, the Stock Exchange Board’s recent appointment of its CEO was in violation of several sections of the Public Authorities Law, referencing section 26, and in part sections 24, 25, 27, and 28. “
He does conclude that these failures to comply are not unique and other examples an be found at the Cayman Islands Port Authority and the now suspended director's handling of the recruitment of four deputy directors who have now been terminated.
Note: Miller's submission was lengthy and will be recovered in a three part series.
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