{"id":238167,"date":"2025-05-23T13:33:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T17:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=238167"},"modified":"2025-05-23T13:33:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T17:33:25","slug":"upp-demands-accountability-from-ministers-not-just-civil-servants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/upp-demands-accountability-from-ministers-not-just-civil-servants\/","title":{"rendered":"UPP Demands Accountability from Ministers, Not Just Civil Servants"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UPP Demands Accountability from Ministers, Not Just Civil Servants<\/strong><\/p>

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The United Progressive Party (UPP) is calling for greater ministerial accountability following a series of high-profile transfers within the public sector, arguing that the government is scapegoating civil servants while shielding ministers from scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on Observer Radio on Friday, UPP Chair Dame D. Giselle Isaac raised concerns over the recent reassignment of senior officials, including the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and the Director of Public Works, Aldin Crump. She questioned why ministers presiding over troubled departments were not themselves held to account.<\/p>

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\u201cHow is it that the Prime Minister can get up and always be heaping blame on public servants, and the people who are supposed to be leading them are not held accountable at all?\u201d she asked.<\/p>

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Isaac argued that the transfers appear politically motivated, particularly in the case of the Ministry of Education. The reshuffling followed an industrial dispute involving striking teachers over unpaid allowances\u2014a matter the UPP says was mishandled at the highest levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere is the responsibility there?\u201d Isaac asked. \u201cDid the minister follow up on the order? Did she ensure a report was delivered? This went on for days when it ought not to have.\u201d<\/p>

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In the case of Public Works, Isaac pointed to the reassignment of Crump\u2014who was blamed for the poor state of roads\u2014as contradictory. \u201cHe\u2019s not performing on roads, you say, but you\u2019re going to send him off to the airport to perform on the runway?\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a contradiction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prime Minister Gaston Browne recently signalled that more shakeups are likely across the public sector, citing underperformance. However, the opposition argues that the government\u2019s reactive approach to governance has failed to deliver long-term planning and effective leadership.<\/p>

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\u201cThe people at the top seem to want to lead from behind,\u201d Isaac said. \u201cYou can\u2019t just pick up people who are not performing, according to you, from here and put them there to do what? Not perform again?\u201d<\/p>

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The UPP maintains that accountability must extend beyond bureaucrats and that ministers must be answerable for their roles in policy implementation and departmental oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been no official government response to the UPP\u2019s criticisms.<\/p>\n

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UPP Demands Accountability from Ministers, Not Just Civil Servants The United Progressive Party (UPP) is calling for greater ministerial accountability following a series of high-profile transfers within the public sector, arguing that the government is scapegoating civil servants while shielding ministers from scrutiny. Speaking on Observer Radio on Friday, UPP Chair Dame D. Giselle Isaac […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":222587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nUPP Demands Accountability from Ministers, Not Just Civil Servants - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/upp-demands-accountability-from-ministers-not-just-civil-servants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UPP Demands Accountability from Ministers, Not Just Civil Servants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UPP Demands Accountability from Ministers, Not Just Civil Servants The United Progressive Party (UPP) is calling for greater ministerial accountability following a series of high-profile transfers within the public sector, arguing that the government is scapegoating civil servants while shielding ministers from scrutiny. Speaking on Observer Radio on Friday, UPP Chair Dame D. 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