by Prof Ramesh Deosaran
...In Parliament three Fridays ago – two days after witnessing the disturbing JSC meeting with YTEPP – Minister of Community Development, Culture and Arts Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly dutifully laid out in Parliament the results of a financial audit for October 2013 to September 2016 on Pan Trinbago, National Carnival Bands Association and Trinbagonian Unified Calypsonians Organisation.
Scandalous allegations from the Ernst and Young audit – repeated financial waste, “me-first” payments and bonuses, questionable purchase of vehicles, playing mas’ with taxpayers’ money once again – and a hard-pressed population looking for action. Gadsby-Dolly told Parliament: “Since these three entities receive considerable funding from Government, the audits’ findings are of great concern to the Cabinet, Ministry and citizens.” Its like playing mas’ with taxpayers money. Anybody could say what is happening to that ugly concrete building south of Trincity – once donated to one of the “big three?”
Gadsby-Dolly’s revelations appear worse than what we heard about YTEPP – all the same, its about taxpayers’ money. Noting the heavy subsidies provided by taxpayers to these three cultural organizations, the auditing firm found vast expenses with no approval, no proper invoices, self-serving conflicts of interest, no proper tender for vendors, suspicious bank accounts, etc, etc. It is time that the authorities, starting with Gadsby-Dolly’s report, stop allowing ethnicity and culture - of whatever type - to mask, protect or immunise them from accountability...
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It is time that the authorities, starting with Gadsby-Dolly’s report, stop allowing ethnicity and culture - of whatever type - to mask, protect or immunise them from accountability...
This is like when Obama told Putin: "Cut it out!!!"
Dolly eh STOPPING NOTHING!!! And furthermore, these are just "scandalous allegations"!!!
“a social conscience is a dangerous thing in this society. More than that, you likely to lose friends, your life likely to get lonely and narrowed too." And these days, it may be your life.
Hell, in these days you could LOSE YOUR LIFE just for HAVING the wrong ethnicity!!!