BITING THE BULLET

I’ve got some bad news for Minister of Health John Rahael. Though it’s true, as he says, that he isn’t his ministry’s accounting officer, he cannot, as he is seeking to do, sever himself from the NWRHA’s latest financial fiasco, which has left the health authority owing millions to the Board of Inland Revenue and to the National Insurance Board. Instead, as Minister, Rahael has to show his political mettle and fully accept the blame for the administrative (and possible legal) tangle the NWRHA has got itself in.

Does this sound unfair? The Minister, as Rahael was quick to point out, doesn’t sign the cheques; he’s not the one receiving the monthly financial statements. His permanent secretaries are. Why then, should he have to tell  the public that the mismanagement of funds at the NWRHA is his fault, instead of what he is doing, which is seeking to lay the blame at everyone else’s doorstep?  The reason is both simple and just: when John Rahael put his hand on the Bible and took his oath of office, he became part of a constitutional chain that begins with the RHAs and ends with him. The RHAs report to his permanent secretary who reports to Rahael who, in turn, is accountable to Parliament. The basis for this chain of accountability is that power is understood to be conferred in the reverse direction, that is, Parliament, through the RHA Act, gives power to the Minister who then delegates his authority to the RHAs. It’s also why Rahael is called the line Minister: he’s at the top of the hierarchy of the country’s health management. It is thus fitting for the proverbial buck to stop with him.

Citizens would be doing themselves an injustice if at every turn they permitted their ministers to shift the blame of each administrative disaster entirely onto the shoulders of a department, an authority or of a particular public servant. Then ministers would never be responsible for any problem at all because they can say they are not in charge of the day to day operations of their ministries or of the state agencies and boards. They can claim ignorance of all matters. Trinidad and Tobago’s ministers would be like spoilt brats at the dinner table, allowed to push aside the greens and eat only the carbohydrates and meat. In other words, they’d be enjoying all the  power and authority of public office, but bearing none of the  responsibilities. If that is the case, we might as well confer on TT’s  various statutory authorities, agencies and public servants, all the clout ministers possess.

It is Rahael’s job to monitor the RHAs and given the history of this particular NWRHA, it is surprising that the Minister didn’t keep a closer eye on it. He himself described the authority last week as a “problem child,” so why didn’t he give it the special attention it obviously needed? This is a question Rahael has not answered in his rush to apportion blame. He also appears unaware that as line minister he must act firmly and decisively against those responsible for the mismanagement of the funds. Instead, Rahael wishy-washily talks of “hoping” and “expecting” to receive tomorrow a report on the matter of the misdirected millions, not of DEMANDING that a full report be on his desk by “yesterday.” He tells reporters someone will be held responsible for what happened at the NWRHA if  the report he “hopes” or “expects” to get tomorrow confirms that the NWRHA mismanaged funds.

However, he cannot say if he will fire the NWRHA Board. He is substituting ministerial resolve with vague words about reiterating to the CEOs of all the RHAs that the proper procedures must be followed, a message he says, the administration has communicated “very loud and strong.” One wonders whether this Minister realises how weak his every utterance on the NWRHA mess has been and how he fails to inspire confidence. No one is hoping for, or expecting him to resign, but Rahael certainly needs to get up and say, “I’m the Minister of Health and as such, I’m ultimately responsible for this million-dollar chaos. “I’ve demanded an immediate investigation and disciplinary and legal action will be taken if the reports are true.” When he took his oath of office, the Minister promised to uphold the Constitution and the law. He has now to demonstrate he meant what he pledged or at least that he understood the vow he was making.

This entire NWRHA affair — and I am accusing no one of corruption or theft — underscores why it is imperative for the Patrick Manning Government not to seek to exclude Board members from the Integrity in Public Life Act, 2000. The NWRHA, as other statutory bodies, is managing daily, weekly, monthly and yearly, large amounts of funds without the apparent requisite scrutiny of its activities. Two years went by and millions of dollars were misdirected by NWRHA officials without anyone noticing. Indeed, everyone might still be in  the dark had the NWRHA not ironically, blown the whistle on itself by requesting a loan to repay the money it had wrongly used.

These misemployed funds could just have easily gone for the personal use of the authority’s management and none would have been the wiser. One of the first items of business on the Order Paper when Parliament reconvenes in September therefore, must be a motion for the legislature to  approve the Integrity Act’s complementary declaration forms. The Prime Minister cannot still be thinking of bringing a bill to exempt Boards from declaring their assets and liabilities. Not after this fiasco. Given the millions of public funds these Boards are managing, such contemplation on the PM’s part would be irresponsible and unfair to the nation’s taxpayers.

And Mr Manning’s Minister of Health cannot continue to blame everyone else for the NWRHA’s mismanagement of public funds by distancing himself from its day to day operations. John Rahael must be a minister and accept the  ultimate responsibility for what has happened. He must also tell the nation precisely what strong action he plans to take against those who invented and implemented the NWRHA’s illegitimate tax scheme. If Rahael finds his  ministerial medicine too bitter to swallow, he can always take a spoonful of sugar to help it go down.