Orlando Burns is the embattled government appointed chairman of the Belize Natural Energy Trust. We say embattled because his board of directors is split right down the middle and because of that, they can't even convene a meeting.
The board constitutes three appointees from the oil company and three from the government. The agreement is that the BNE and the government directors hold the chairmanship on a rotating basis for two years each.
Well, government's term started in June of this year - and things seemed to be going well enough until early September when the issue of the General Manager's contract came up for renewal. The BNE directors wanted it extended, while the government directors wanted to advertise the post. To break the deadlock and gain a majority, Government chairman Burns used his casting vote; BNE's directors walked out and they haven't been back to the boardroom since.
Now, it's not just power tripping, there's important work to be done, projects pending, grant funds to disburse. After taking a public battering last week - today Chairman Burns went on the media offensive and told us the BNE directors have to get over their little tantrum:…
Jules Vasquez
"These are 3 directors asking you to step down. This is no small matter."
Orlando Burns, Chairman - BNE Trust
"Well it doesn't mean anything to me because I am appointed by the government. When they were appointed by BNE, nobody could ask them to step down, not even the government."
Jules Vasquez
"But the complaint is that you have proven unable to build consensus on the board. The board cant even meet because of your [ Orlando Burns - That's their side of the story ] divisive leadership style. This is what they are saying."
Orlando Burns, Chairman - BNE Trust
"That's their side of the story. The story always has more than one side. The truth of matter is that they have run this trust as it was a department of the oil company. Somebody made a comment in the Amandala that I have said that I have a casting vote; I have never said that, never."
Jules Vasquez
"But you have used your casting vote."
Orlando Burns, Chairman - BNE Trust
"I had to use it at the meeting when they were dictating to me to just automatically renew the general manager's contract for two years."
Jules Vasquez
"And it is the first time a casting vote was used on that board."
Orlando Burns, Chairman - BNE Trust
"It is the first time."
Jules Vasquez
"It appears that the BNE directors will not sit with you. I think you had three meetings and you have been unable to have them attend because the BNE directors won't sit with you. How do we work this out going forward?"
Orlando Burns, Chairman - BNE Trust
"Well that's for the government to decide. I had about 6 meetings and everything was beautiful until they were dictating to me to sign two years automatic contract for Ms. Sewell. I have nothing personal against Ms. Sewell. The last conversation was cordial and I told her you are welcome to apply and if you are the best person to handle this thing - which in, I think she has an advantage with the experience she has - but we think it's a very important post and nowhere in the contract does it say that I have to sign automatic 2 years. The contract expired, she didn't apply in time and she didn't tell the chair that she was interested and now the BNE people want to dictate and because they can't have their way they throw this tantrum like my 5 year old grand-daughter, when I don't give her what she wants, she runs. We could have done that a long time ago, Jules."
Burns also addressed the issue of corruption that had been leveled at him by outgoing General Manager Sewell last week. She said he had been given a container with 368 chairs to distribute to schools in the north in March and that, a.) he didn't account for them and, b.) he overcharged schools for them.
Burns today told us that they are all accounted for and Sewell had been informed that he had to affix a freight charge unto the delivery.
Orlando Burns, Chairman - BNE Trust
"Well she asks me to take a container, which a tow head truck will charge you no less than $800.00 and I didn't own the tow head at that time, I had to hire it. So I told her there and then, I said, look I will take care of the expenses, I know you paid from Belize to Belmopan already, I will take care of the rest. 400 chairs in there, she is saying its 358 chairs, she doesn't even know how many chairs are in the container. It's 400 chairs and I got the tow head to take it and I told her that they will get their $3.00 and the people will pay $5.00 which is $2.00 times 400 which is $800.00 for the container. So she said no problem, that's beautiful. March 2010 she asks me to do that and she never asks me again what happened to those chairs. The accountant called me - a very responsible young man - if I had the paper work for him. I told him that it was a work in progress. Schools told me if I can't hold the chairs until school opens in September; I told them no problem and I found out that most schools told me that they can't find the $5.00. They say that they love the chairs but they have to sell bar-b-que and get the PTA involve to buy those chairs. A school was building more rooms and they say that they will finish the rooms for September. Solomon Adventist School, they got 50 chairs on the first of September, so did many other schools got chairs on the first of September. The last of the chairs was delivered in October. I have all the paper work, I have brought it here to show you and those are the names of everybody, There were 16 different institutions that got the chairs and it was exactly 400 chairs in the container and I have a receipt where they got the money for 397 chairs at $3.00, they got it from March."
Of course, Burns had a lot more to say about questionable practices when the board was under BNE's control and we'll have those comments tomorrow.
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