And while the Minister has to meet public expectations, he also has to manage them. He stressed that this new role is "temporary" and there is only so much he can do in the three months he has been allotted.
Julius Espat - Minister of Home Affairs
"Let's be respectful to what I was commissioned to do. I'm here on a temporary basis for three months to hold over and make sure that I can come up with recommendations based on what I see or what I encounter. I'm working on that premise right now. In three months, you cannot solve a problem in a ministry that has been there for what, independence? We went as far as 1981 then, and so nobody can expect that everything will be dealt with at the same time. First, you have to do an analysis. First, you have to meet the people, see how they work, see the conditions in which they are working, looking at the complaints that have come in. Then you do an analysis and you look at the structure and how they are set up. Is the structure working? Is the structure following the rules set out under the public service? Are there changes that need to be made? So I will have to then produce a report that I will give to the Prime Minister and Cabinet with the recommendations, and then from there we move on. Parallel to that, I have to deal with the everyday situation, which is as much as I can do. But three months is a difficult thing to get everything that one would like to achieve in such a short time."
Reporter
"You've met with the leading personalities. Do you expect that you will be able to work with them in the near to medium term, which is what you've been tasked with?"
Julius Espat - Minister of Home Affairs
"Yes, definitely.These are both highly educated and experienced people. Different personalities. I like that. I like when you have a combination of personalities and experiences, and you put that on the table. What needs to be determined is that we have to work as a team. That's for sure. That's critical. The initial conversations give me the impression that yes, it can happen."
The three-month timeframe reflects the expected duration of the audit.
That Audit has commenced and is being spearheaded by the office of the Auditor General. In a release today the Leader of the Opposition expressed dismay.
Panton notes that the auditor general is constitutionally established and, quote, "needs no instruction, no directive, and no political prompting to execute the responsibilities mandated and enshrined in law. It is therefore particularly concerning that the Prime Minister found it necessary...to publicly instruct the Office of the Auditor-General to conduct an audit into the Mira family-related contracts. That raises serious red flags for transparency, accountability, and the independence of our oversight institutions." End quote.
