When Minister Anthony Mahler and Minister of State Devin Daly took over the Ministry of Youth and Sports, they revealed that 95% of the 7.5 million allocated to that ministry goes into salaries and administration. That leaves only 5 hundred thousand for programs and that to be split between these two critical areas. This signaled issues with management and resource allocation, as well as administrative bloat fueled by phantom workers in long dormant programs.
That state of affairs led to speculation about an audit being done. Today when the media asked Mahler about the findings, he was decidedly vague. But he insists that it wasn't rampant corruption as the public might have suspected. In fact, he says the main problem was that there needed to be more checks and balances.
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism, Youth, & Sports
"Well, that we need to put in and some more of the checks and balances, which we have been doing, that there has to be a higher level of accountability, which we will do, and that we will show the nation that we will do things differently. Under Minister Daly and my leadership."
Reporter:
"There is questionable transactions there to be looked deeper?"
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism, Youth, & Sports
"I can't tell you that. No, I don't know about that."
Reporter:
"How much of that audit speaks to wastage within the Ministry of Youth and the National Sports Council?"
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism, Youth, & Sports
"Well, it doesn't speak about wastage. It just speaks about and proper checks and balances and proper accountability for certain initiatives."
Reporter:
"Checks and balances and accountability in terms of what?"
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism, Youth, & Sports
"For example, when you disburse moneys, for example, in out district committees, then there has to be accountability for it, right? When there is no accountability for the renting of facilities that to me, that should come in to our consolidated fund. That didn't happen. And these are the things that we're talking about, relatively minor. And because you're talking not about a great deal of money after salaries anyhow. So it's not this rampant corruption that people want to make. We're just in this environment where they want to paint all politicians is corrupt and that type of thing. And I mean, throughout history that has happened. So, yeah, as politicians we have to take our lumps and we all have to deal with the environment that we are operating in. But I think as long as you show work, you show progress, you are accountable to the people, then you should be okay."
Reporter:
"And in terms of putting in those checks and balances, what's your plan moving forward?"
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism, Youth, & Sports
"Well, for one, we're going through some management restructuring in terms of national sports council. It's a little bit more difficult in terms of youth department, because that's a full government department and everything has to go through public service. But for both of them, we want a full restructuring of the programs and of the management structure so that you have the systems and the policies in place for better management."
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