Tonight, Belize has no auditor general in office. The resolution to appoint a temporary auditor general - which would have been Deputy Maria Rodriguez - was not passed in the Senate today -it did not have the support of the opposition and the social partners.
According to the Opposition, they find it nonsensical to appoint an auditor general for four months while claiming to look for someone to fill the position permanently. They say it's high time that a suitable replacement for Dorothy Bradley is appointed.
However, Leader of Government Business, Eamon Courtenay, argued that a temporary auditor general is better than none at all.
Tony Herrera, UDP Senator
"As said before, this position has been on hold for four years now. We came here an we approved an extension so they had time enough to find somebody to full this position during that extension. So today we're saying that yes, the position is important, yes the position needs to be upgraded, especially when it comes to compensation, however, right now is the wrong time. Four months, what will four months do, or what will that person do in four months? To me, or to us, that's a bad thing for continuity. You bring somebody 4 months on a big job and then has to leave after the four months, I think and I believe that it's time for us to wait for a qualified person to fill this position."
Eamon Courtenay, Leader of Government Business
"The period for four months, has to do with, as I understand it, completing the process for the advertising and interviewing and hopeful recommendation of the person to be appointed auditor general. My appeal to this Honorable Senate is to reflect soberly on whether or not we prefer to continue for one minute, one hour, one day, one month, four months without an auditor general in an acting position. Is that better than having an acting auditor general? If the social partners and the opposition, as they have articulated, are not supporting the motion, then the motion will fail and then it means we will have no auditor general. I do not believe, with respect, that that is in the best interest of the Belizean people."
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