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$35M inadequate for Ombudsman to conduct proper investigations
– Opposition Leader
Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition, David Granger, has expressed concern over the fact that the recently approved $35M for the Ombudsman’s Office may not be enough for it to effectively carry out investigations.
The current Ombudsman is former High Court Judge, Mr. Winston Moore.
Granger in an interview last week told this publication that while it was A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) that lobbied relentlessly for the revival of the Office of the Ombudsman, it is now a matter of concern as to whether the allocation will be enough to support the investigative capacity of the Office.
Opposition Leader David Granger
“We have been the ones to call for the restoration of the office. The Office of the Ombudsman is a very important agency and it is responsible for handling investigations into complaints not just for Georgetown, but for the entire country. We feel that the Ombudsman should have a strong investigative arm and he must have the staff to do so. I feel that the amount is inadequate, but of course, the Opposition does not have the power to increase provisions. Based on the Chief Justice’s ruling, we can only approve or disapprove.”
Also lending support to Granger’s point of view was Member of Parliament of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Trevor Williams. He said that while it can be noted that the figure is a challenging sum, he believes that the Ombudsman should not shy away from asking for more funds if need be.
“Mr. Moore was recently commissioned and I am not sure what his modus operandi is. I am not sure what agenda of his was taken into consideration hence the allocation. However, $35M is a challenging sum when one considers that the Ombudsman has to carry out several investigations and outreach programmes around the entire country. But since you can do a supplementary appropriation for other agencies, I don’t see why they wouldn’t want to approve one for the Ombudsman’s Office if need be. It is a cause for concern and $35M is a challenging figure when certain things are taken into consideration, but let’s see how Mr. Moore handles it and what will be his plans with this allocation.”
When contacted yesterday by this publication, the Ombudsman expressed that he can’t say whether he agrees or disagrees with the position of the politicians, but he will release, via notification this week, his plans based on the allocation.
“I do not want to comment on the plans we have thus far since the allocation was approved, and I will not comment on whether I agree with Mr. Granger’s view. But what I can say is that I will send out a release this week with the details of the things we plan to do.”
The Ombudsman was sworn in on January 13 at the Office of the President. The position was vacant for the past nine years. The last person holding this position was Justice Sheik Mohamed who died in 2005.
An Ombudsman, though appointed by the Government or Parliament, is given a significant amount of autonomy. He is also mandated to represent the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of mal-administration or violation of rights.
In a previous interview with this publication, the Ombudsman had said that he has a staff of six and that his office has been furnished with most of what they need.
He asserted that since his appointment his team has not started any investigations into any matter, though they receive many complaints on a daily basis.
Ombudsman Winston Moore
“We have been doing some preliminary work in some cases to see if it would warrant an investigation at all, but I wish to make it clear that we have got the capacity to effectively carry out investigations… but we don’t have any matter that requires that.”
Additionally, based on the nature of some of the complaints received and the expectations of the complainants, the Ombudsman said that there is a serious need for a lot of outreach programmes. The office, he said, was not functioning for awhile and it is important for citizens to know what it can and cannot do.
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