Richards & Burt: Auditor’s Work Delay
The inability of the Audit Committee to do its job is damaging Bermuda’s reputation as a principled, sophisticated place to do business, Shadow Minister of Finance Bob Richards said.
“To businessmen, the audit process is so fundamental to what they do that a failure of any kind in the process is remarkable.”
“Unless the failure can be explained easily and quickly, a red flag is raised among those who are interested in the affairs of the company concerned,” said Mr Richards.
“The same principle applies to countries. The audit process is fundamental to the health and reputation of a fully-functioning democracy.
“When the process fails, a red flag is raised among those who, for one reason or another, are interested in the country’s good faith.
“It is one thing for an Auditor General to criticize a government’s accounting practices in reports that the Constitution demands must be published annually. But when the Auditor General feels so strongly about obstacles that are blocking her ability to do her job properly, then the red flag that is raised is ten times bigger, and ten times higher – a flag that can be seen by anyone watching Bermuda.
“The government says that it has already released government financial performance numbers for the past year in their pre-budget statement. That is a half truth. That information represented mere headlines to the financials, the details of which have yet to be revealed.
Mr Richards continued on to say, “Moreover, those numbers have not received the stamp of approval of the Auditor General. In fact it is my understanding that government’s loan facilities have a covenant that requires the provision of audited financials six months after the year end: that would be last September 30th. Since the audit is still not complete, there appears to have been a breach of that loan covenant.
“Several special reports that the Auditor General has generated are also being held up by these delays, including reports promised on Heritage Wharf and Coco Reef. These are matters of public interest and reflect on Bermuda’s state of good governance and transparency.
“If the government is deliberately interfering with the timely execution of Auditor General’s constitutional function, then it would be a very serious matter, hurting Bermuda’s standing as a responsible democracy, damaging our reputation among those who might think of doing business here and eroding the confidence of Bermudians and foreigners alike in the prospects for our country.
“The delay has meant that the Audit Committee that was supposed to have carried out its function last year is no longer. The tenure of its members expired at year end and a chairman and members have to be reappointed. This all adds to the delay. The government needs to get the lead out and get this matter resolved,” concluded Mr Richards.
Junior Minister of Finance, Senator David Burt responded to the comments saying, “Having reviewed the latest comments from Mr. Richards it is clear that the OBA is comfortable stretching the facts in order to achieve political gain.
“To imply the government is deliberately interfering with the Office of the Auditor General is irresponsible, but not unexpected from an opposition that creates fantasy and is willing to put the reputation of the country at risk to score political points.
“As was stated by the Ministry of Finance yesterday, it is expected that the Audit Committee will meet in the near future to conclude its work so that the Reports of the Auditor General on the Work of the Office of the Auditor General and on the Accounts of the Government of Bermuda can be tabled and released to the public as per the Audit Act 1990.
“I’d also like to reiterate that the Audit Committee is appointed by the Governor and the Minister of Finance is only an ex-officio member this Committee,” said Senator Burt.
“The Audit Committee meets at the direction of its chairman and not the Minister of Finance. To imply otherwise, as the opposition has tried to do, is simple mischief making in advance of an election.”
I see Mr. Richards has changed his tune. He is no longer using the term “banana republic”. I guess his advisors told him how insulting that term was to all Bermudians. No matter, at the end of the day, he will remain the Shadow Minister of Finance.
As usual, you have failed to grasp the fact that the obstruction of the auditor’s work and the failure to provide information to the public in a timely and professional manner is an extremely serious matter. If you have some valuable insight, please let us know, otherwise your comment is just mindless political garbage.
Meet “in the near future”. Right. There is no date set to meet at all. This is PLP playing for time. And to LaVerne, if you don’t like the term banana republic, maybe you would prefer tin pot dictatorship?
Wondering if this will happen before or after the election is held could be a key factor to consider. Also could give way to more “conspiracy theories” if done after, but the PLP do not seem to worry about that at all.
LOL
I think the concern is that basic and fundamental accounting is expected and needed to make business decisions in the western world.
International Business including potential tourism investment CANNOT make informed business decisions about doing business in Bermuda.
Therefore, our GUESTS (International Business and Tourists) are significantly less likely to come to Bermuda as a destination of choice until they can complete this VERY standard practice of due diligence.
Especially when they know they are the only ones who can realistically pay back the majority of a ‘guestimated’ 1 billion dollars without the currency devaluing.
makes the UBP Government look like they had vision AND empathy when they handed over the books!
Definitely. After all, we’re not a republic.
As part of the BIU, Laverne Furbert is in no way qualified to comment on audit work.
Ms.
Furbert,
I’m sure you have better things to do than feed stupid statements onto these blogs.
PLP = Failure.
OBA =. OLD. BOYS. CLUB.
Old Boys Club were not as bad as the present set of individuals that have sold us out. Will never vote again. I also admonish all persons to watch “Life and Debt” this DVD may change alot of you who feel our debt is OK. The same senerio the documentary has is what our future will be if it is not stopped. As a matter of fact it will be worst, due to not producing anything but children.
Hmmmm lets see just to break this down a bit. The Auditor General has missed a deadline for reporting on public acccounts and made a complaint to the House of Assembly in the form of a statement to get the ball rolling. The Minister of Finance then complains that she has made a complaint.
I find it curious why the Minister of Finance wouldn’t want to light a fire and assist in any way shape or form, considering that Fiscal Prudency is one of her buzz words in many speeches. Regardless of who the committee falls under or is answerable to, why would our Finance Minister complain when most other people would demand an explination? Ex-Officio member or not, Paula Cox is still a member by virtue of her office and I’ll bet that her office has the ability to put pressure on the Chairman. If Paula Cox is serious about transparency and prudency then why complain, rather push the issue and see that it gets done. David Burt seems to “forget” this in his comments above. Bob Richards wasn’t speaking to Paula Cox in her capacity of a committee member, but rather the Minister of Finance and Premier.
Who are currently on this board? Who is the Chairman? Paula Cox has been in contact with him by her own statement, why hasn’t she stated what the hold up is? Instead of providing answers, we the public are once again being entertained by sleight of hand tricks. The problem is that these tricks are getting old and they were never that good to begin with.
Good Morning LaVerne,
With all that’s going on, this is what you focus on? This term should only be insulting to those who are running the show. In this case well the shoe appears to fit. Now if you are trying to spin this into a racial term then I suggest you look up ther terminology and it’s history, as a matter of fact let me do that for you now:
In political science, the pejorative term banana republic denotes a politically unstable country dependent upon limited primary productions (e.g. bananas), which is ruled by a plutocracy, a small, self-elected, wealthy group who exploit the country by means of a politico-economic oligarchy.
So now thats all cleared up, what are your throughts on the real matter here? Do you think that something should be done about that and that everyone who can assist should do so, in the interest of good fiscal management and following the established rules and laws?
If audit committee is appointed by governer, is it by random choice or by a certain someones recommendation??
OBA: “The government is failing to follow proper business protocol in the following measurable manner and it is putting the country at risk in these detailed ways”
PLP’s proper response: “We have addressed these explicit shortcoming, admit our error in allowing it to happen in the first place, and have reduced Bermuda’s risk due to our error”.
PLP’s given response: “Those who question us are big doody-heads”
way to improve our faith in the govt there guys – what is this, 1st grade?
Are you serious…..
The former happens all the time, the issue, the opposition doesn’t listen or acknowledge as is it not in their political self interest to do such!
How do you think the department of Internal Audit came about? It was the following of a recommendation of the Auditor General to improve processes and reduce risk.
Improvements happen all the time, and are announced. You must however know and understand that the Opposition doesn’t release statements when they agree with the government (which is often) and the Media covers controversey.
Come off your high horse, into reality. This whole situation is because the Auiditor all of a sudden complained of an obscure conflict of interest, and its been going on ever since. It doesn’t look good for Bermuda, however both Gov and Opposition can work better together on such without turning it into politcal theatre.
To be fair, it was turned into a political circus the moment Paula Cox went to the media in a rather defensive manner.
The auditor general had every right to make the statment she did. You know what Paula Cox should have done?
Paula: “You know something you’re right, lets get to the bottom of it and get this sorted out and then taken appropriate steps to do so.”
There’s nothing wrong with the above, sh*t does indeed happen, but lets not forget the Auditor General is correct here. Bob Richards may be doing the right thing for wrong reason (Although in reality he’s doing his job as the opposition shadow finance minister), but it’s still the right thing.
@proud to be Bermudian
Huh? “This whole situation is because the Auditor all of a sudden complained of an obscure conflict of interest, and its been going on ever since” What total gibberish.
This is nothing more than electioneering by the UBP, plain and simple.
Bob Richard’s making false accusations, the media reprinting them, and then having to print a retraction.
If one were to listen to Bob Richards as the Authority on everything, the sky is falling over Bermuda are we’re all screwed. However the evidence in different.
This issue above is one where the Audit Committee needs to meet and get on with it. Bob Richards needs to stop implying nefarious schemes for political games!
@Proud to be Bermudian
And you are still rambling on gibberish. If the government had listened to Bob Richards five years ago we probably wouldn’t be in the position we’re in now. The finacial mess we’re in now was all predicted by Mr. Richards back then. Oh and by the way; Mr. Richards is doing exactly what the tax payer is paying him to do: “oppose”
The UBP/OBA are so famous for calling for apologies, I would like to see one from Mr. Richard, but I’m not expecting it, for misleading the public..I have done my research and have been made to understand that these reports have been last since the beginning of time, approximately 5 -6 year late under the UBP…I am not suggesting that we continue the status quo. But crying fire in a crowded hall is certainly not the answer either…We deserve honesty from all our parliamentarians. Crying foul for political gains hurts the country. The same country the OBA claims to be putting first..Actions speak louder that words. people don’t be fooled….
Prove your research!? Or are you simple fabricating your evidence? I take most of what you say as hearsay.
Actions do speak louder than words, why don’t you ask the government that with regards to submitting proper financials required by law!? Which they clearly have not done as highlighted by the auditor general. If they had then why would the auditor general make such a fuss?
The key point Bob is making is that the election is looming and the PLP look like they are trying to cover up negative financials as a result. This is not the transparency Paula promised.
*these reports have been LATE since the beginning of time*
Rhonda:
Show us the proof…..First I’ve heard of this.
So what your saying is with a coming election it is okay not to present these audits to the house???
“To imply the government is deliberately interfering with the Office of the Auditor General is irresponsible, but not unexpected from an opposition that creates fantasy and is willing to put the reputation of the country at risk to score political points.” So true, So true…..
The challenge with Mr Richards, is that he sounds so much like the “UBP” with a name changed to “OBA”. He uses the OBA as a way to overlook or forget the history of the UBP as the Finance’s Minister. Reports by the UBP/OBA were always late. Mr. Dunkley is also guilty of the same. Both tend to frequently mis-lead the public and blow issues way out of portion without presenting valid information to support their conspiracy theories. However, the only real important difference is that the PLP are working hard to put into place recommendations of the Auditor General to ensure timely reporting, and to ensure that effective procedures and accountability are carried out in every government ministry.
Please…. Mr. Richard’s continues to make “false accusations”, the media reprinting them, and then having to print a retraction. The media always prints what he and Mr. Dunkley have to say, even if there is no real data to support their theories. He always speaks in such a negative and condescending tone, and looks as if he is in never-ever-land. It is now evident that the OBA are in real desperate push for votes, and attempt to bring down the PLP at any cause. Mr. Richards attempts to come across as if he is knowledgeable expert on everything, but yet on little. He presents nothing new, or different. Every recommendation he had regarding the economy had already been put into place by the PLP, long before he presented it as his own. Mr. Richards needs to work along with MR. Cannioner to continue to seek out highly quality candidates, that offer a little more than he does. Do not seek out only black individuals to gain the black swing vote, as persons will see it is nothing more than a smoke-screen.
Call a bwwaaambulance.
The Premier has failed again and you fail to address the central point.
Audit Act 1990 –
Time limit for annual reports of Auditor
An annual report under section 9 shall be addressed to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, and, subject to subsection (2) of this section and to section 11, it is the Auditor’s duty to deliver each such report to the Speaker, and send a copy of the report to the Governor and the President of the Senate, on or before 30th November in the financial year next following the financial year to which the report relates.
Where in any case the Auditor will be unable to fulfil his duty under subsection
(1), he shall so inform the Speaker of the House of Assembly in writing beforehand, giving his reasons; and he shall then use his best endeavours to deliver the report to the Speaker as soon after 30th November as he is able.
It would appear to me that the Auditor General is following the Law.
FrOM THE AUDIT ACT–
(2) The Audit Committee (“the Committee”) shall consist of —
(a) the Minister ex officio; and
(b) such other members (not fewer than five in number) as the Governor, ACTING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ADVICE OF THE PREMIER, may appoint, but so that no such member may be a public officer or an officer or a member of either House of the Legislature or an employee of any Government-controlled entity.
(3) The Governor, so acting, shall appoint a member to be the Committee’s Chairman or, in case of need, acting Chairman, but the Minister may not be appointed, or act, as such.
(4) The Committee SHALL MEET WHEN SUMMONED by the Chairman or acting.
It would appear to me that the Premier has a lot of say for this committee.
@ Law Reader,
Unfortunately, the usual suspects line up to attack the messenger without bothering to get the facts.
If Cox really wanted to sort this out asap, she would do so. But she knows it would open Pandora’s Box and cause acute embarrassment to her and others!
The law is racist and now part of the Combined Opposition
Oh great, the PLP parrots have arrived on scene. Good morning Rhonda & specialgirl4you.
You two are right. Bob Richards does not know a thing. After all he is only an economist by proffession isn’t he? Surely he doesn’t know a thing compared to anyone in the PLP camp. Any economists over there?
This is yet another sorry crisis that could have/should have been avoided if only there were capable people at the helm of Government.
The Audit Committee was not created by the Governor by pulling names out of a hat.
Right on (again) Triangle D..
Of course in Rhonda’s case she is just ‘Remaining Neutral’ as that was her usual spiel. Oops she doesn’t post under that name anymore ?? so at least now she is being a bit more honest now I guess, Being a Blind faith, blinkered supporter of the PLP no matter what (Yawn).
“I have done my research and have been made to understand that these reports have been last since the beginning of time, approximately 5 -6 year late under the UBP…” In other words she ‘called’ someone within Alaska Hall(Probably LF) and was told what to say.
Sadly for Rhonda and many others of that mind set they suffer from Victim Mentality Syndrome and there’s no known cure for that, you see it’s self inflicted.
@ Law Reader, thank you for clearing that up. While it seems in most people’s interest to debate about who was wrong to accuse or whose responsibility this is, it is clearly stated as you have shown. Why can’t just the facts be debated here and not personal agendas? How long will people continue to defend the undefendable base on who the accuser is?
Right is right and wrong is wrong. You people out there defending poor governance are the ones who will doom us down this path we are heading with NO end in sight.
How much further does Bermuda have to sink before we get some accountability? Please someone in government put their hand up and say “my bad, this one slipped by and I will address this immediately”. No, instead we get excuses and deflection of blame.
NOT A BACKBONE IN THE BUNCH….. TALK A GOOD TALK……
They also shifted who the accuser really is it was the Auditor General who made the initial accusation the opposition just fed into the PLP PR machine crap game by bothering to make the above statement. He should have left his opinion out and just read the law as was posted above and confirmed that the AG is with in the law.
LOL
People are not defending poor governance, People are defending “mis-information” that is not correct. People are defending negative and incorrect reporting regarding what the current government are doing and not doing. People are supporting the record of the PLP as it stands, and not as some people spin it.
Please do not believe everything you read in the paper as truth, after all they have been called upon to make several retractions and apologies. Also, information presented by the Opposition is also not always correct. It has also had to be recalled and corrected. Remember this is “Silly Season” and the Opposition will say things that are not correct in a desperate push for votes. Get the real facts, and not half truths.
we the people need to know how you spent our money, not when you feel like NO when you are supposed to as a govt.
Otherwise,
If the govt think it can do this, should businesses pay their payroll tax when they feel like?????
and when Bermudians come though customs at the airport, should they request to pay at a later date???
Accountability Premier!
What was the delay called under the UBP now renamed OBA they took 5-6 years. to produce the same reports…
Pretty broad statement there Rhonda. Since you are in the know perhaps you could cite the years that the UBP were 5-6 years to produce these reports.
Um, no, coming back with “it is public record” is not good enough. That is just so Lavernish.
Nailed it in One (again) TD,
Despite this body having only recently been formed it’s better to point out past UBP failings than to accept that this is not good enough and honestly/sincerely demand better from the people responsible TODAY.
No doubt She will have to “look into this” i.e. Call her Alsaka Hall contact for more instruction as she is out of her depth, just listen to her ramblings on the peoples show and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
As I have said before, it makes me even more disgusted when you pull out the “well they did it first” excuse! Like a child saying “I got you back!”
If we wanted more of the same, we would have kept ‘them.’ We wanted something different and better, that’s why we voted you guys in. Instead we get ‘their’ stuff only more obvious and not so well done. At least ‘they’ didn’t put us in debt past our eyeballs.
Please stick to the blessed point and not who-accused-who and who-is-politricking. It doesn’t help the situation.
Bob Richards is no financial guru and he has no more authority to speak on Financial matters than current Finance Minister. He has never been the Minister of Finance and as I see it, he never will be.
For those of you who missed the statement below issued by the PLP, read it. For those who have read it, reread it so you can have an understanding of what’s really going on in this country.
“The Shadow Minister of Finance should be aware that in the Pre-Budget Report released in December, the Government of Bermuda released financial performance numbers for the past fiscal year. The Government also released performance information on the first six months of the current fiscal year. Therefore performance information has been released, in accordance with Government’s commitment to effecting ongoing improvements in its Public Accounts and in transparency to Parliament and the people of Bermuda.
At that time the Minster of Finance stated to the House of Assembly, “Typically the Consolidated Fund accounts would be tabled during the current legislative session. Unfortunately, the accounts of the Consolidated Fund for the year ending March 31, 2011 are not yet ready for tabling. The Accountant General is working with the Office of the Auditor General to ensure that all outstanding matters can be resolved and the accounts tabled as soon as practicable. Despite the aforesaid, draft financial statements have been prepared and the audit is near completion and we do not anticipate material changes to the statements.”
The reports that are pending review by the Audit Committee, are not for the past fiscal year as the Shadow Minister is implying, but are the Reports of the Auditor General on the Work of the Office of the Auditor General and on the Accounts of the Government of Bermuda for the Financial Years April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009 and April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010. The audited financial statements of the Consolidated Fund for these years have already been audited and tabled in the House of Assembly.
It is expected that the Audit Committee will meet in the near future to conclude its work so that the Reports of the Auditor General on the Work of the Office of the Auditor General and on the Accounts of the Government of Bermuda can be tabled and released to the public as per the Audit Act 1990. It must also be made abundantly clear, that the Audit Committee meets on the direction of the Chair, not the Minister who is an ex officio member of the Committee.”
By the way, I heard Bob Richards on ZBM News this morning saying the Auditor General answers to no one and although she is appointed to the Governor, she does not have to answer to the Governor. That’s how ill-informed he is and his statement was just another example of how he misleads the public.
Why is this statement, if accurate in its content, issued by the PLP, and not by the Finance Ministry? The matter at issue is a Government matter, not a Party matter. Typical of the blurred lines of authority and accountability created by the PLP.
Out of curiousity, Mrs. Furbert, do you believe that the fact that approximately 75%* of Govt revenue will be required to be spent solely on civil servant wages and debt servicing to be sustainable?
*As per Mr. Swan and Burchall’s analysis (which was procured straight from the Govt itself)
Ok Ms Furbert, since you are so well informed – why won’t the Auditor General sign off the accounts for 2010/11 even though we are in January 2012?
It is because the Accountant General and the Ministry of Finance are so bad at financial reporting. They don’t even know how much the DLBE building is worth or how much over budget it actually went yet! That’s why Ms Matthews won’t sign off the accounts as MoF don’t have a clue!
“It is expected that the Audit Committee will meet in the near future to conclude its work” How near is the near future? If you ask me the Governor or Ms Cox as Premier should be demanding that the Chair calls every member and demands they attend a meeting TODAY!
@ Ms. Furbert – YAWN,
Mr. Richards may not be a financial guru but neither are you nor anyone else in the PLP, and if being the Finance Minister is the only way to speak with any credibility on this why is it that we are in the state we are in especially as the current Minister has been in this post for some time now, is her Financial Know how de-evolving?
From the Royal Gazette dated December 5, 2009.
Premier Ewart Brown yesterday had to defer a bill improving oversight of Government policies and programmes after Opposition MPs complained it didn’t go far enough.
In the morning, the Premier had introduced the Internal Audit Act, which sets up a new Internal Audit Department to provide an overview of the managing and cost of all Government activities to ensure there’s no wrongdoing.
However, in the afternoon he asked the House to “rise and report progress” following complaints from the United Bermuda Party and Bermuda Democratic Alliance that the legislation didn’t give enough independence to the overseeing team. No PLP MPs spoke out against yesterday’s legislation.
And it would appear given the ongoing lack of transparency and accountability displayed by the PLP (where are you PATI?) that the Opposition were right to complain about the referenced Act. Thank you for reminding us Mrs. Furbert that the PLP are incapable and/or unwilling to do what is in the country’s best interests vs. their own.
@ Rhonda, LaVerne, Specialgirl et al.
You are missing the point. I (I’ll stick my neck out and say we) don’t really care about whether the UBP/OBA were late in their financial whey they were in power – after all, there is nothing that can be done about these issues that happened more than a decade ago. However, we DO care about the fact that the trend continues, and that to date, it has not been resolved. Furthermore, one would think that as a party that campaigned on change back in 98, and given that the Hon. Madame Cox trumpets accountability and transparency, the current Gov’t would make certain that issues such this either do not arise, or are addressed quickly and effectively when they do arise. However, to date, we have seen nothing but political maneuvering (granted, on both sides of the aisle). At some point, the excuse of: well you did it too / first; and the finger pointing needs to stop and the actual issue addressed.
Less talking, more walking and for the sake of Bermuda’s future, sort this mess out and sort it out now!
The public awaits…
@Bermudian Abroad, you seemed to have missed my point, which is don’t yell fire in a crowed room, cause you are looking for attention….yes we need to improve the turn around time,it once took us 5-6 years it now taking 3-4 years …we deserve better….but not a stampede, that might hurt the country..
Rather than regurgitate the party line (of 5-6 years) please provide definitive proof to support this claim and explain exactly how what occurred 13+ years ago is a reasonable explanation for what’s happening in 2012 because if your PLP are going to use this as justification for their shortcomings why should they be given responsibility for the Government in the first place if they act so childishly?
for last time…i am not defending or making anything justifiable, This could have been handle differently maybe a platform promise, for the OBA, to get the turn around time for these reports down to 6 months….hey I may find that meaningful enough to vote for them…But IMO I think yelling fire is wrong….and could case unnecessary damage..I know the response will be Bermuda is already damage…so why damage it more when we don’t have too..
now I an done….
Bob Richards yelled fire five years ago and the Government didn’t listen. A billion dollars has now burned and is gone.
Just get the audit committee to meet and get it done. What is the hold up…….oh, I forgot…..an election is coming. We wouldn’t want to screw up the election with the truth!!!
Rhonda,
Please stop as its so obvious that all you do is defend the Govt. no matter what, that’s fine and your right but please don’t try to make us believe that you are trying to be fair as your posts certainly don’t bear it out. You would never vote OBA, and that’s fine too. But your poor examples and excuses such as “… I know the response will be Bermuda is already damage (d)… so why damage it more when we don’t have too..” is pandering at least and speaks to a mindset in Bermuda that is why our Kids and country are going to hell in a head basket. If someone we know/family does wrong just excuse it and by no means should they be told that they are wrong, especially in public!!
Instead how about telling the Govt in no uncertain terms that this is not good enough, as Mr. Richards and many others have been doing. As a supporter your voice has more weight inside the PLP and they would have to get that message sooner or later.
By your reasoning it’s only likely to “damage’ Bermuda if the OBA and Bloggers point it out, do you think that others can’t see it for what it is? according to that principle maybe the RG and Bernews should stop reporting these failings so that no one outside of Parliament/Bermuda will know.
It sound like you want Bermuda to be like North Korea, the only news out is what the Rulers want!! This is not North Korea!! All so that your precious PLP aren’t made to look bad. News Flash Rhonda, The OBA, RG, Bernews and Bloggers don’t make the PLP Govt look bad … The PLP does that all on it’s own, The Rose tinted Brigade such as your self just adds the exclamation point.
Me? Well I feel the PLP Govt is past their sell by date and need to go. I will be fair where I feel like being but lets call a spade a spade. The Govt has lost its way for some time now and it is time to change, its no good cheering Hoorah we won just to be loyal when the ship is sinking.
@ Rhonda
No one is shouting fire, I do agree we deserve better … from our Govt. Mr. Richards is doing his job and doing it pretty well which is the real problem for you and many other PLP apologists.
Your excuses and constant defending of more Govt failings come across more like ‘don’t point out the numerous Govt. blunders’ just keep quiet. Sadly for us all though is that the Govt could render that type of action null and void by running things more efficiently or by dealing with the issues when they arise. Instead we get the finger pointing and the ‘they’re just out scoring cheap political points’ nonsense.
But no this is a delaying tactic by the Govt and that is tantamount to lighting a fire in a theater at this point in time as if you think these issues are not followed by IB and or potential investors to Bermuda you are sadly mistaken. Especially if you think it only gets attention when the Opposition or the RG points it out then you are even more delusional than I think you are.
So you’re saying three chartered accountants, a former MP, a former Attorney General and a practising lawyer, appointed by the Governor have conspired amongst themselves and with the leader of the country to not meet and thereby prevent to release of three year old information which has been delayed because its author has been busy with other things? Even in OBA Land that must be seen as far-fetched. Brought to you by the people who are still looking for those pesky cedar beams.
Accordingly to today’s Bermuda Sun the Audit Committee goign forward is determined as follows (excluding the Minister of Finance who is a de facto member in accordance with the Act):
Chair: Mr. Raymond Medeiros, FCA
Deputy Chair: Mr. Kirk Davis
Mr. Andrew Griffith
Mr. Larry Mussenden, LLB, ED, JP
Mr. Ottiwell Simmons, JP
Mr. Cyril Whitter Jr.
But more to the point … why did the Premier/Minister of Finance fail to attend the previously scheduled October 2011 meeting? Afterall, she was on the island as she spoke at a PLP event the evening before.
@ Hmmm,
It sure looks like delaying tactics to me. If not why haven’t they got it sorted? too busy with other things to do? Yeah right and all so important that this couldn’t be done. Sounds convenient and pretty flimsy, even coming from you Hmmm. Is that really your best? How about this then? If persons are too busy then excuse themselves from the board and allow someone else to get on with it, that’s so crazy it just might work!!
Appointed persons, yep they sure are and some obvious PLP members who know through a few missed meetings here or there means that this committee cannot function, easy really.
Hmm’s comments, brought to you by the people who said ‘There’s NO Recession, Bob Richards is Scaremongering, There’s no corruption, IB are happy and won’t be going anywhere, Hotels soon, our policies will ensure Bermudians have jobs ….. YAWN
Sorry Hmmm but the only people in LA La land are the Govt. and the Rose tinted brigade such as yourself. But that’s been the case for some time now hasn’t it?! Hmmm just another one the Sheeple that eat Delusion for breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Translation: “Could you please hurry up with these reports?! We don’t have a Platform, there’s a pitch battle inside the OBA for control, the BDA converts are silent and unhappy, we have no real political ideology…..these reports will give us something to run on…help”. Sheer desperation.
Methinks Richards should join the PLP as they clearly can use his knowledge! After all, the former UBP leader Wayne Furbert is showing them how to manage tourism!
Bermudians are hurting financially across the board. Local businesses are struggling or have closed in 2011 with more to come in 2012. Jobs are being lost daily through redundancies and business closures. Homes in Bermuda have lost value. Rental properties either sit empty or landlords have lost rental income due to an outflow of ex pat workers. More Bermudians are losing their homes to forclosure than in prior years. There is gang violence in the streets and anti social acts continue to escalate
daily. Homelessness is up and more Bermudians are going hungry. Hopelessness prevails in the country as many locals and expats move away to foreign shores in search of better opportunities. Import duty has been increased at the airport and will also be increased for personal items individuals bring into the country via online shopping. Food costs, energy costs and other living expenses continue to increase. Government social services have been cut pushing more Bermudians closer to the edge. There have been no pay cuts for government MP’s and we now have a bloated civil service. Government is slow in paying its bills or is not paying them at all. I think that we are doing much better than we were in 1998. Don’t you?
Did anyone read that the audit committee will meet in the near future…as far as the Auditor general concern…those reports should have been on her desk like yesterday. And David Burt, as junior finance minister, your comment was not needed, it just make the situation worse. I will be waiting for those reports….KEEP US POSTED BERNEWS! Lets see how long it takes to walk it over to the Auditor. I say June 2012,maybe July 2012……maybe until after the next election where it will be too late to hold PLP accountable if there are any red flags.
People are not defending poor governance, People are defending “mis-information” that is not correct. People are defending negative and incorrect reporting regarding what the current government are doing and not doing. People are supporting the record of the PLP as it stands, and not as some people spin it.
Please do not believe everything you read in the paper as truth, after all they have been called upon to make several retractions and apologies. Also, information presented by the Opposition is also not always correct. It has also had to be recalled and corrected. Remember this is “Silly Season” and the Opposition will say things that are not correct in a desperate push for votes. Get the real facts, and not half truths.
Shouldn’t the Hon. Premier being meeting with the Audit Committee today instead of pretending to go shopping (did’t see any shopping bags on TV 9 News at 7.00)…
Senator Burt is so handsome I would vote for him on looks alone
To Rhonda and special girl. To bad the two of you don’t have a damm clue! When these reports are finally released it’s gonna blow the PLP right out of the water. I wonder what your gonna have to say then when it’s shows more money gone missing them first revielled – more overspending. By the way what ever happened to the government employee what used the gov credit cards to buy Victoria secret underwear? Was she named specialgirl or Rhonda?