1 week ago
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Prime Minister John Briceño today responded to concerns surrounding the reported appointment of Abelardo Mai Junior as Acting Director of the Belize Solid Waste Management Authority. Love News first reported on the matter on Wednesday. The Public Service Union has since written to Public Service CEO Rolando Zetina, requesting documents to establish whether the required recruitment and approval procedures were followed. The union says it received information that qualified serving officers were not given an opportunity to compete for the position. Asked about the appointment and the concerns raised, Briceño gave this response.
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Sometimes I wish that the Public Service Union would act more as a partner, and not that everything has to be a fight. If they want to be fair we’ve had multiple problems at the Solid Waste Management site. There have been, we’ve changed at least three heads and these are technical people, that they do not know how to manage. In one case, there was even the concern that one of them was forging contracts and something that had been under investigation. We need somebody that manages. Mr. Mai Jr has an MBA from a university out of Florida, has already worked in the Ministry of Economic Transformation. So he already knows and understands what the government works and then also the managerial experience and training we believe that he can go in there and manage the place. It’s a temporary position. It is for six months and are you saying just because he’s a PUP or the son of a former minister, he can’t get a job? The point is, is he qualified? Yes, he’s qualified and it’s a temporary position for six months.”
Reporter: Were others qualified though or they jumped over?
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “I really couldn’t answer at this point but the point is the people that were within their management, at the Solid Waste Management site they did not and he’s probably the best qualified person at the moment.”
The PSU has requested a written response and supporting records within fourteen days of receipt of its letter. It says that if the required procedures were not followed, the appointment should be reviewed and the post advertised to allow qualified officers to compete./
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