It's been 4 days since the new Auditor General submitted her qualified audit opinion to Parliament, and I've been waiting patiently for the Premier to do what he did last time; within 24 hours of Larry Dennis's qualified audit opinion on March 21st 2009 the Premier called for him to be fired and said the following:
"For more than two years, our Government has been calling for the Governor to request the resignation of Mr. Dennis. We think that he has politicised his post and he is decidedly anti-Government."Acknowledging the Auditor General's August retirement, the Premier added: "He is determined to do damage to our Government on the way out. We do not mind being audited, but Mr. Dennis long ago diverted from the norm and really it does not deserve the respect of the Government."
....
Dr. Brown said the Auditor's special report was "a distressing example of an abuse of power, a manifestation of the politicisation of the high office in question and evidence of a clear intention on the part of the Auditor to inflict harm to the reputation of two ministers of this Government."
Does Ms. Jacobs Matthews opinion 'deserve the respect of the Government'? Is she decidedly 'anti-Government'? Is she 'abusing her power'? Did she 'politise high office'?
Oh, but before we consider that question, let's see what Dr. Brown had to say when Ms. Jacobs Matthews was appointed:
"I expect", declared Dr. Brown, "that Mrs. Jacobs-Matthews will be firm but fair; thorough but impartial; forceful but temperate and above all Mr. Speaker, focused squarely on the remit of her office".
Not a lot of room to maneuver here. So we're on plan B, blame the global economy for un-tendered projects, overspends and lack of supporting financial documentation.
Just to reiterate, the broadside against Mr. Dennis was delivered (via proxy) within 24 hours of the tabling of his qualified audit.
Surely the press should be asking the Premier whether his comments post Mr. Dennis' qualified audit apply to the new qualified audit from the new Auditor General, or whether he withdraws his previous attack on Mr. Dennis?
There's obviously an inconvenient issue here though that makes the previous excuses harder to apply to Ms. Jacobs Matthews; the previous attacks were all predicated on a multi-year campaign built around Mr. Dennis's pigmentation. That isn't really going to work so well against Ms. Matthews now is it.
They're in a bit of a predicament here. The 'it's because we're a black Government' defense has been used extensively over the past 10 years and the signature item in that defense just went kaboom.
Auditing is auditing. It's not particularly subjective as disciplines go. Numbers can be twisted to lie, but a rogue auditor will be quickly called out. Mr. Dennis never was. And the new Auditor just validated his opinion.
The ball is in the PLP's court to either remain consistent in their attacks on any Auditor General who qualifies their opinion, or make one big ole public apology to Mr. Dennis.
We all know that won't happen.
