PSU President Demands Action on Whistleblower Bill

As scrutiny grows over government spending, Dean Flowers says the real fix is simple, protect the whistleblowers. He argues many public officers see wrongdoing but stay silent, fearing backlash. Flowers says Belize is long overdue for strong whistleblower laws to expose corruption and abuse in the public service. Now, he’s urging government to stop stalling and bring the legislation to the House, without delay.

 

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union

“They have no political will to curb corruption. They have no political will to introduce whistleblowers legislation or protected, uh, protected disclosure legislation to allow and to empower citizens and public officers to point out these things freely and to be compensated if necessary. And I challenge the Minister of Public Service, I challenge the Minister of, uh, Religion, stop, stop dodging. Show your true colors. If you really love this country, bring the whistleblowers or the protected disclosures bill out of the House Committee. Take into consideration the recommendations that were forwarded by the Chamber of Commerce and the unions, and pass the legislation in one sitting so that public officers, so that finance officers who are now under attack because of this corrupt… of these corrupt practices can easily whistleblow and say to the financial secretary that no, or say to the auditor general that they have received unlawful instructions or that others are facilitating these unlawful instructions.  So I’m calling out the Minister of Public Service, and I’m calling out the Minister of Religious Affairs. If you really believe in a god and you really believe in doing the right thing, do it. I won’t call out the Prime Minister because we know where he stands. We know where he stands on these things.”

 

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.

 

Watch the full newscast here: