When it was launched in June of 2004, the 12-member Governance Improvement Commission was to have ushered in a new era of transparency and accountability. It should have served as the ultimate watchdog, a fiercely independent body empowered by government to keep it honest and clean. And to make sure it lived up to its mandate, the Commission had the membership of highly regarded luminaries of civil society such as Senator Godwin Hulse, lecturer Luz Longsworth, unionist Dylan Reneau, activist Dylan Vernon, Bishop Dorick Wright, Mayor Anthony Chanona and others whose credentials alone made it clear that when they gave government their stamp of approval, that was blue chip certification.
But they never gave that approval, and they never will, because 12 of the 17 members on the commission have resigned. The commission members signed off on a letter of resignation sent to the Prime Minister on November third. In a release issued today, the commission members explain that government just did not come through on its end. First it did not treat the improvement commission's recommendations seriously and then, government went ahead and made its own governance decisions without consulting the commission. With that, the commission members concluded there's no real intent to work as partners and they threw in the towel.
Vice Chairperson Luz Longsworth told Keith Swift today that the commission wanted more power and the government gave them less.
Luz Longsworth, Former Vice-Chair
"There's some great concerns regarding the arrangement, the management arrangements that we see regarding the Commission and whether these are really adequate for the role that was originally envisioned for the Commission. We have discussed other ways of becoming more effective, of having more teeth, and it doesn't seem as if those will come through anytime soon. So those of us who decided to resign felt that this is the best decision we can take at this time also recognizing that we are not forsaking our responsibility of advocating for good governance in Belize but perhaps this may not be the best form that it should take."
Keith Swift,
Is this an indication that government is not serious about good governance?
Luz Longsworth,
"I wouldn't want to say that is an indication that government is not serious about governance, I just think that there are certain structures that need to be put in place. At this point I feel we've come up against a wall and we have to find a way to get over it or get around it."
Keith Swift,
Is that wall the government bureaucracy or the lack of political will?
Luz Longsworth,
"It may be a combination of both but I think that we all have to be willing, everyone in the society has to be willing to stand up and to work through the governance issues, including the bureaucracy as well as the political directorate."
The Commission was a key component of government's commitment to its international partners and lenders that it would be cleaning up its act. To try and satisfy those same partners a new commission is expected to be appointed, but, likely, the damage has already been done.
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