Who is watching the public purse? That question is once again at the center of public debate as the “Mira Millions” controversy continues to draw scrutiny. Former public officer and attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley says the case points to a much larger problem inside Belize’s public service. He says procurement irregularities cannot take place unless there are failures in oversight, accountability, and the systems used to manage government spending. Bradley, who has held several senior government posts, told us today that reform must start with strengthening the public officers entrusted with protecting taxpayers’ money.
Richard “Dickie” Bradley
Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Former Public Officer
“Couldn’t happen without the public service. There is no way that the law requires that when you put in an invoice of fifty thousand dollars or more, it goes to some kind of vetting oversight process. Perhaps it may have started for convenience. It’s not an easy thing to be a civil servant processing people’s claims, and then it has to go through a process. They blame you. Me no want hear nothing else. So when I wa get my money, that’s why I no deal with government no more. I got nothing more to do with that. Listen, I have the money so slow. How long? I no wa hear nothing. Alla of unu so slow two months done gone and I can’t get my money. It’s that there is a pressure on some public officers, but there is also corruption involved because if I defending my invoice to collect money, I can say to you, you know if you speed up my thing, you gonna get something. And then the second time around you say like, I don’t want to speed up nothing because da wa lee slightaz, can’t even pay school fees for that kind of money. I give you more and so. The buck stops at the public officers. The accountants, the finance officers, the chief executive officer. That is where the problem can be resolved and solved. If we find that the procedure is a little outdated and a bit colonial, we have the ability to improve and change it. The public service needs to be improved upon. Politicians will be politicians. You can’t change that beast. That is something which by, by very nature, the public service are the protectors, are the safeguard of the public purse. And also they are the ones who know where the honky-tonky, the stealing, the corruption, the waste is taking place. Th- they can’t manage a budget of one billion seven hundred million dollars. That is what is spent every year, over a billion dollars. These are colonial structures in place which is not up to speed. There’s nobody checking.”
Bradley has held senior posts across government, serving in education, the postal service, and as CEO under both PUP and UDP administrations.
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