Tonight, we know who will investigate the mismanagement of Scial Security funds, what we don't know is what they'll find. In a special meeting today, the senate chose the members of a special select committee.
It will be chaired by senator for the business community, Godwin Hulse, with the membership of four other senators. They are: union representative Rene Gomez, PUP representative Dickie Bradley, UDP representative, Arturo Roches, and church's representative Moises Cal. It's a historic first for the senate and the UDP's southern senator Arturo Roches made a near-historic gaffe today when it was announced.
After the resolution was passed announcing the appointment of the group which includes him, Roches stood and said that he had gotten a call from headquarters saying that the opposition does not support the bill. Here's an audio excerpt of that:
Arturo Roches - UDP Senator
"On the matter of serving on the committee I, yeah I received a call, a telephone call just a while ago and like I said I was prepared to go ahead until I got further notice from headquarters and I'm just being told now that am... we will not support it unless there is an independent commission. So I'd like to clarify that. Yeah well I'd have to withdraw my name until further notice."
But how was Roches, not the most experienced parliamentarian, put in that position in the first place? Well that's another fiasco. Turns out that Ambrose Tillett the hard-nosed facts and stats senator who would seem to have been the automatic choice for the senate select committee never made it to the meeting. Why? Well the official explanation is that his car broke down and he never got to Belmopan.
Speaking with us today, party leader Dean Barrow explained that the party has voted not to participate in the senate hearings because it feels that the process is flawed and there is nothing independent about the hearings. This after Barrow last week gave the commitment that his party would support the social partners, even if it didn't actually believe in the cause.
It's turned into quite the political pickle for the UDP and now the senate group proceeds, we assume, without the contribution of senator Roches.
The terms of reference empower the committee to interview any person connected with the BSSB programs, to examine all pertinent documentation, to determine whether proper procedures were followed or whether any processes were circumvented, to identify persons responsible for breaches of law or procedure, to recommend corrective action to prevent recurrence, to recommend any action that may be brought against any persons for misconduct or violations of the law. The committee will meet in public, and will hold these hearings with urgency.