---

How unusual that a Cabinet Minister would appoint a close relative to a government Board within his Ministry. Environment Minister Glen Blakeney has appointed his sister, Beverly

Samuels, to the Development Applications Board, one of the hardest

working and most important boards in our system.

There are two issues here. The first is the perception of a conflict of interest. The second is the growing evidence that nepotism, cronyism and other bad practices are pervading the governance of our island.

To this second point, some appointments by Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, would seem to condone questionable appointment practices and standards. As examples: his choice for race relations consultant, Rolfe Commissiong, who seems more inclined to exacerbate racial tensions than heal them.

MP Zane DeSilva, the Premier's pick as acting Environment Minister while Mr. Blakeney was overseas, is an active land developer, a profession sure to conflict with protection

of the environment. The Premier has also placed Ms LaVerne Furbert onto the Human Rights Commission - a position requiring at least tolerance and

empathy; she has never struck me as a personage blessed with a surfeit of either.

George Orwell

These appointments remind one of the quote from George Orwell's novel

'1984' in which "war is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength".

Coming back to Minister Blakeney, it is highly unusual that a minister would appoint a close relative to a Board whose decisions may fall to his discretion. It would seem to us that if ethics were high on the list of considerations, a minister would want to avoid even the appearance of bias in his decision-making, and avoid any possibility that open discussion within a Board was suppressed by thoughts that whatever was said might reach the minister's ear.

Because decisions by the DAB may be subject to appeal to the minister

and require a decision byhim, there is a risk that whatever his decision, there is the likelihood the decision will be perceived as biased. Surely neither a minister nor any sibling would wish to have such a suspicion casting its shadow over their impartiality.

This situation highlights the need for a Code of Ethics for Cabinet Ministers that spells out in unmistakable terms what is and what is not ethical. Personal standards of ethics may be adequate but where they are not, there should be an established code that assists elected government officials in maintaining high ethical standards not only for their own official capacity but also as a model for citizens' ethics.

Ethical conduct

Unfortunately, instead of raising the bar for ethical conduct among our leaders, the actions of this government are taking us in the opposite direction.

Perhaps they hope that we won't notice, or that if we notice we won't say anything. Perhaps they are convinced that the members of their own party who frown at such behaviour have been cowed into silence by those who practice intimidation and threats. Perhaps they are

counting on everyone feeling "neutered".

Not so. More of us are recognizing, as did the child in Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tale: the emperor has no clothes.

If that's what you see, it's past time to call it out.[[In-content Ad]]

---