The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry is calling for stronger controls over public spending as the Ministry of Defense and Mira millions scandal continues to unfold. Today, the BCCI hosted a media roundtable to outline its good governance agenda, focusing on transparency, accountability, oversight, and stronger institutions. During the Q&A, we asked whether the ten-thousand-dollar procurement threshold should be increased. But BCCI CEO Kim Aikman says the real issue is not the threshold; it is the people managing the system. Executive Councilor William Neal went further, saying government must end questionable purchase approval practices.
Kim Aikman
Kim Aikman, Chief Executive Officer, BCCI
“We believe that it is not about the threshold and I don’t think we are advocating to increase the threshold. The ten thousand dollars is fine as long as the processes and procedures are held. In the private sector if I am spending more than ten thousand dollars then I will have to seek further authority. So, it is the process that has to happen and that is not what is happening now. In the private sector we have system that we called Transvision that flags anything over a certain amount or if you are doing a transaction without the proper approval it flags it and then you have to go back and get everything in place. In our view, it is not about the threshold, it is about the people behind it.”
William Neal
William Neal, Executive Councilor, BCCI
“The thing that is interesting is that you still have your technical people very often in the same position and whether the minister can give you approval by word of mouth and whether there needs to be documentation for you to actually follow through. What are the systems within the government system that actually means you have been authorized. Then you can abdicate your personal responsibility to say I have been instructed to do this and here is my documentation to do it.”
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
