Vexed Bermoothes

The Premier alleges that advertising firm GlobalHue was only criticised because it’s owned by a black man.

I won’t waste too many words on his obvious cynical diversion.

The criticism is not directed towards GlobalHue as much as it is directed towards the Minister of Tourism, aka The Premier.

The GlobalHue deals have come under scrutiny because 1) Government ignored its own tendering procedures for large contracts such as this one, and 2) it was shown that GlobalHue and its subcontractors were charging commissions as high as 181% on ad placements, far beyond industry norms.  When civil servants in the Ministry sought information on GlobalHue’s work, the agency went around them to appeal to the Minister.  That’s wrong:  who does GlobalHue work for:  the Government or the politician?

Two consecutive Auditor Generals have found fault in the Ministry’s handling of this.  It has nothing to do with race and a lot to do with basic management and accountability.

It is my opinion that the Ministry of Tourism has been disastrously managed under the tenure of Dr. Brown.  That’s my opinion, and if you don’t like it I have others.