It’s not bad mind, Mayor Belnavis

THE EDITOR, Madam:

THE ST Ann Municipal Corporation has been in the news a lot lately about questionable expenses. The corporation offered a contract valued at J$47 million to sanitise the city, with funds from the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

Until recently, no other municipality received this type of funding. In comparison, Trelawny was awarded half as much to do their sanitising, while Portmore did similar sanitising for as little as $300,000. The glaring disparities only lead to more questions. Was adequate due diligence carried out before awarding a J$47million contract to the company in question?

The corporation also incurred expense for a charging unit costing $80,000 for the mayor’s 2019 Porsche motor car. Mayor Michael Belnavis accused critics of being bad-minded. Other questions have arisen about missing funds from the budget – J$15 million, to be exact. There are also questions about eight operating bank accounts managed by the corporation that have not been reconciled – a standard process to control banking and financial operations of an entity. Why should a corporation need as many as eight operating bank accounts which not only increases financial risks but reduces the effectiveness of controls?

The current Jamaica Labour Party administration has been dogged with numerous controversies related to corruption and irregularities since it took office. It is good to see the Integrity Commission taking the lead and doing their jobs expeditiously, without fear or accusation of partisan politics. If they find nothing, the mayor and his corporation have nothing to worry about. But the public has every right to be concerned, as questionable expenses are very likely linked to irregular activities and corruption.

Government resources are very limited; there are many areas urgently in need of additional funding – social services, education, national security, and healthcare. Public waste should not be an option and persons must be brought before the courts to answer charges when irregularities are uncovered. We must demand full accountability and responsibility in public institutions guided by ethics – nothing about that is ‘bad mind’!

P. CHIN