This coming Monday, a Commission of Inquiry will begin its investigation into the disposal of government assets by the Barrow Administration between October 2019 and November 2020, just before the General Elections.
As we've reported, the Public Service Union was basically the trigger of this investigation because it took on the role of whistleblower. They reported that their members were coming to them with persistent reports that government vehicles and assets were being sold off at "obscenely low prices".
The Commission will do its own digging to see if there is evidence to support the PSU's concerns. And, the first witnesses they intend to call are Former Prime Minister Dean Barrow, Joseph Waight, the Financial Secretary; and Ruperto Vicente, the head of the Vehicle Care Unit.
Today, we asked the PSU Vice-President about that inquiry and their role in its formation. He told us that its part of a public clamor for the union to take on a more watchdog role:
Dean Flowers - Vice-President, PSU
"Credit must be given to public officers who could no longer stand the scent of the pit, the stench of the pit of corruption that exists within the service. And they're the ones who eventually came forward to the union to bring and give us some supporting documentation, albeit very limited where the fire sale of government assets, more specifically vehicles, were concerned. The public has been demanding more of the Public Service Union, where holding government accountable is concerned. That is not the primary foundation on which the union was founded. It was, of course, a labor movement looking after terms and conditions and negotiating better terms and conditions for its workers. But, there's been an outcry that we have to do more. The BNTU set the tone by championing the UNCAC, and so, keeping Government in check, therefore, becomes everybody's responsibility. We have to play a role in stamping out corruption."
The first session of the Commission of Inquiry begins at 9:30 on Monday, and we'll be tuned in to share the highlights.
