We also asked Deputy Faber to comment on the recent eyebrow raising interview from Music Ambassador Shyne Barrow. He challenged the competence and integrity of NUCH President Sapnah Budrani. This is after Faber, as Culture Minister, had expressed full support for Budrani two weeks earlier.
So did Shyne step out of line against his party’s #2 man? Today, the Deputy didn’t get personal; he only said Shyne’s remarks were “unfortunate”:…
Hon. Patrick Faber - Minister of Culture
"I have the utmost confidence in Sapna Budhrani's leadership there. Now that leadership might go well for some people who have an agenda."
Jules Vasquez
"You are an elected minister, a senior minister, you have in your wisdom appointed Ms. Budhrani as the president. You have spoken on it and explained why you believe it exists. He's not elected, he's appointed, he's seeking election. Has his lost his sense of...."
Hon. Patrick Faber
"Jules I'm not getting into that back and forth; in fact you could argue that is an internal party issue. All I'll say is that again, I think his comments were unfortunate and that I continue to have the confidence in Ms. Budhrani, I'm hoping that from now forward that the relationship between the musical ambassador and Ms. Budhrani will improve."
Jules Vasquez
"Unfortunately as you have described them, are they a result of perhaps a reflection of perhaps his father's... "
Hon. Patrick Faber
"Jules I really am not going to go down that road. I don't know why it is that the question of that even comes up - the prime minister and I have a wonderful relationship so it frightens me that you will even raise such a topic."
Faber also spoke about Shyne’s claim that the current NICH President has conflicts of interest which bring into question her integrity in the execution of her duties.
Faber said there is no conflict of interest - and then made a telling disclosure on the source of Shyne’s salary as Music Ambassador:
Reporter
"Sir he made reference to one issue that there may be conflict of interest in terms of Ms. Budhrani being the NICH President and also holding the post of administrator for NICH."
Hon. Patrick Faber
"The post of administrator is vacant so I don't know where that is coming from. It is not improper for you to have somebody within the institution act in a position, so I don't understand where it is they are saying that conflict is coming in. The president of the institution and Ms. Budhrani has since been appointed the president of the institution is the chief operations manager - the president does everything basically. We are not trying to fill; in fact the president is answerable to the minister so whatever it is they accuse Ms. Budhrani of they really should be accusing me of."
Reporter
"Is the musical ambassador - should answer to you as well because he falls under your minister?"
Hon. Patrick Faber
"Well understand that the musical ambassador he's not an employee of NICH. The musical ambassador receives a stipend I believe from the Ministry of Finance via NICH and in fact has a small budget for his programs via NICH but he's not an employee of NICH."
The source of Shyne’s salary is important - as we noted earlier, because those who are paid out of the public purse cannot run for politics. Now, if he was paid by NICH - which is quasi - governmental that would be another matter - so the differentiation is important.
The UDP has correctly taken the interpretation that anyone paid from the public purse cannot keep getting paid while running for a political convention or an election. Shyne Barrow is running for the standard bearer’s office in Mesopotamia - and our reports say he currently gets paid from the public purse as Music Ambasssador. Others in that position, - like Phillip Willoughby, Dean Samuels and a few more - have been made to resign. We’ll wait to see what will be the decision on Shyne Barrow.
Email
Print