#BTEditorial – Nepotism

Even though not always illegal, it is often seen as one of the clearest examples of corruption, particularly at the state level.

Nepotism, or accusations of such, has been on the lips of many Barbadians, as it was recently announced that Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland would be the executive chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital; an institution in dire need of a lifeline.

The executive chairman will report directly to the Ministry of Health in an effort to minimise red tape.

Make no mistake: this is no Jared Kushner or Ivanka Trump situation.

Ivanka, daughter of US president Donald Trump, accompanied by her husband Jared Kushner, has been trekking across the globe as the President’s “advisor”, representing the superpower country at high-level meetings with influential world leaders.

While neither Ivanka nor Jared had the experience or expertise to advise a president, a cursory glance at Bynoe-Sutherland’s Curriculum Vitae would show that she is more than up to the task at hand. She is a seasoned professional who has been at the helm of the Barbados Family Planning Association, a crucial player in the delivery of healthcare in the island. Bynoe-Sutherland has also served as Director of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP). Her work as an attorney-at-law as well as in HIV and a health planner will be advantageous and have great potential for breathing new life into the QEH.

But the optics of declaring the spouse of a minister as the one to assume a position which was created for them is enough to create pause, especially when it comes from a Government which has repeatedly said that a large part of the mess it is now tasked with cleaning up is as a result of corruption.

As was to be expected, the decision has not gone down well in some quarters. Outspoken trade unionist and opposition senator Caswell Franklyn described the choice as “shameful”, while Senator Crystal Drakes warned that any action which may be vaguely understood as corruption or nepotism will work to the Government’s detriment.

“We have to make sure that transparency and accountability are the order of the day,” she reminded.

This is not to say that Bynoe-Sutherland’s expertise could not be engaged at the state-run institution. Let’s not forget that before this new role, she served as Chairman of the QEH’s board. In this position, the proven professional could still inform the strategic direction of the QEH.

Barbadians watching these moves may also remember the controversy that engulfed former BLP Member of Parliament and Minister, Liz Thompson, whose husband was embroiled in scandals involving construction and renovation contracts he had been awarded.

And not so far away from home, Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves appointed his son Camillo Gonsalves as the Minister of Finance. It was a role the Prime Minister  held for several years before passing it on directly to his son.

Unfortunately, in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Barbados, nepotism is a common practice.

What makes the situation that more distasteful is the fact that Government, under the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, recently sent home 1500 workers from the public sector.

Were none of these people qualified to do the job? Was any real effort made to find someone else? Or was Bynoe-Sutherland given the job automatically?

Since taking up office last year, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has spoken much about transparency and stamping out corruption, but such hirings sometimes give Barbadians the impression that every time we take two steps forward, we take three backwards.