Muse or Amuse ... Is there conflict of interest with the private sector bodies?

Muse or Amuse … Is there conflict of interest with the private sector bodies?

Mar 02, 2013 News

The Chamber of Commerce is usually the premier organization for private sectors across the world. In Guyana there are many disparate bodies that represent private sector. Some of these bodies are seen as shadows of the Government while others are seen as independent.
The main opposition Party had refused to meet with one of the private sector bodies because of certain persons within that body whose activities, opinions and pronouncements always mirror that of the Government. The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, on the other hand, remained detached from politics and its current Chairman must be applauded for his independent position.
Across the world the various private sector bodies are seen as the premier engine of growth. In Guyana, under President Jagdeo, the Guyana Government became the engine of growth and supplanted itself within the Private Sector bodies to ensure that state control was exercised within the Private Sector.
There are a number of senior persons within the private sector bodies who hold positions within Boards and organizations while being at the helm of their private sector bodies. Some of these positions may be in direct conflict to the aims of the private sector as an organization and could be seen as a direct conflict of interest.
Some of these persons are seen as Government agents that occupy private sector posts. They have presided over the private sector while acting as Government agents. Their roles as government appointees created a conflict with the overarching role of Private Sector.
Example 1: a person heads the private sector and is a board member of NICIL. From his position in NICIL he will vote against his peers in the private sector. Let the minutes show how positions were taken against their peers, like Marriott Vs Pegasus, China Vs GT&T. Is there conflict of Interest?
Example 2: A person heads a private sector body and chairs a utility body which awards contracts to private sector members. Is there conflict?
Example 3: A person heads a private sector body and is appointed by the government to head the competition commission. He will never bring action against his own company but can take action against his peers. Is there conflict?
Example 4: A person heads a private sector body and sits in many security boards while owning his own security firm, his own airline and screens and checks at some of the ports. He may or may not know everything and is in a privileged position to decide when and how to do whatever he wants.
Example 5: A persons is head of a private sector body and heads the airport board while his best friend looks after the security contract at the same facility while his peers are awarded contracts for that facility. Is there conflict?
Example 6: The coffer of one of the private sector bodies was stripped and its auditor fired unethically. Is there conflict?
There are many more examples for analysis. Some of these people are very powerful. Their rewards may be justifiable in their minds as they sit in every powerful Board and take decisions that affect us all.
Over to the social scientists. Is there conflict of interest? You decide.

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Muse or Amuse … Is there conflict of interest with the private sector bodies?

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