• Courtesy of Mr. Kem Jones, host of the Eagle’s Eye talk show,  we the people became aware that the Government of Grenada, and by extension, we the people, have been paying the Digicel mobile phone bills for former NNP senator  Sheldon Scott and a number of persons who are no longer public officers.   
• Based on the information made public by Mr. Jones, the amount paid on behalf of the former Senator over the period April to June 2019 is simply astounding.   The following is a summary of the information in respect of Mr. Scott’s telephone charges paid for over the period, April to June 2019:

Table 1:  Government Telephone Charges, April – June 2019

• 2016, Cabinet Reshuffle:  In June 2016, there was a Cabinet reshuffle.  Among the changes, then Sen. Scott – Parliamentary Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Ministry, with responsibility for information was replaced in the Senate by Sen. Pamela Moses.    The Prime Minister announced that Mr. Scott would “engage full time with and be paid by the New National Party in the area of public relations and organisation”[1].     It is now exactly three years and one election (2018) later that Mr. Scott was replaced in the Senate.    How is it that in 2019, Mr. Scott, the Marketing and Public Relations Specialist at New National Party[2], is still part of the pool of public officers whose mobile telephone charges are being paid by the Government of Grenada? 
• At the People’s Expense:   Approximately 24 percent of Government’s payments over April to June 2019 have been in respect of the daily data usage charges incurred by Mr. Scott.   Based on the information from the bills, in addition to data usage, it would appear that he is part of the pool of bundled minutes and has access to 400 – 500 + minutes monthly.   
• What Business/Whose Business:  These data usage charges have been incurred for Digicel Mobile web service and,  with one or two exceptions, have been incurred generally around the same time each day,  just after 12.00 midnight.   One understands that we are in a global world and have to contend with time differences.    If we the people have been paying the bills, then the former Senator’s has become OUR business.  We need answers – WHAT business, with WHOM and FOR WHOM?     We also need information about the bills from July 2016 to present. 
• Facilitating Payments:  It is clear that some person/persons were facilitating the payment of those bills?  WHO are those persons and on WHOSE instructions?    Does anyone scrutinize the bills and sign off on them before they are paid.?  What systems and procedures are in place?  Is there a ceiling per month for mobile bills?  Based on the bill information, it is noted that Mr. Scott’s credit limit is $1,000.
• Responsibility:  The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister and Political Leader of the New National Party has suggested that political leadership, public officer/officers and Digicel are to blame.  Undoubtedly, these parties bear responsibility.  But what about the responsibility of the former Senator a former member of the Honourable House, a former “caretaker”   of the people’s business?  Is it that he was happily OBLIVIOUS of his phone bills?    Did he ever see those bills?  Since he operates a phone, there must be a phone bill!!
• Public Officers:  It was amazing to hear the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of Finance suggesting to public officers that politicians could not take action against them for doing their work.  If something is wrong, they should not allow it to continue and politicians should be told when they were not doing the right thing!!!   Whewww!! 
  • Trust vs. Competence:  Is the Rt. Hon. Political Leader seeking to UNDO his legacy!!??  After all, on coming to office in 1995, it is he who first told public officers that it was NOT about competence.  It was about TRUST!!      At a general staff meeting on October 25th, 1995, the Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of Finance told staff:-    “You see, no matter how dedicated and committed an officer is, and no matter how hard-working and respected an officer might be, once there is no trust, then there is nothing doing.” [3] And with the help of lackeys, his administration set about sending on leave or transferring its competent and independent public officers.   Examples abound and continue to the present!
• Quality of Public Services:  The public service is in a state of disarray and uncertainty.  The most recent report of the IMF Article IV Consultation notes that there is an excess number of unskilled and semi-skilled staff in the public service and the quality and effectiveness of institutions in the public service are adversely affected.    Specific mention was made of the inadequate number and quality of workers in the health and education sectors. 

The   Real Costs of the Former Senator’s Telephone Bill:-

Over the period April to June 2019, the data usage charges of the former senator and current   Marketing and Public Relations Specialist at New National Party is $70,000, an average of $23,000 per month, ( 27 percent to 30 percent of Government’s total data usage bill).  What are the REAL COSTS of the former senator’s bill?   Recently, the husband of a colleague passed in the General Hospital after a stay of 9 weeks at one of the open wards.  Along the way, this was the experience:-

• Bed Sores:  He was paralyzed, needed to be turned regularly.  On some days, there was a shortage of staff, be it orderlies or nurses/nursing assistants.   He developed bedsores.  Neither did the hospital have air mattresses which are used in preventing/managing the condition.
• Diagnostic Test:  It was advised that the test to complete a definitive diagnosis to inform his treatment was not available in Grenada, though it was done in most other islands.   The tests would have to be done hospital to hospital (significantly cheaper but much longer to get the results) or private doctor to doctor.  The test has to be paid for by the family.
• Staff Shortages:  On the day before he passed, in the late evening, he complained of not having had a wash for the day.  The ward was full.  The nurse in charge advised that the ward was short-staffed – both nurses, nursing assistants and orderlies – but she “would see what she could do”.    On the day that he passed, his family surmised that this need had not been attended to as had been requested the evening before.  It took more than two hours before the body could go to the morgue because there were no orderlies on the ward that morning.  They had to be ”borrowed” from another ward. 

Using the information from the above scenario, the following Table 2 has converted the costs of the monthly telephone charges to the equivalent of health care/services that it could have provided at the General Hospital. 

Table 2:  Government Expenditure on Scott’s Private Mobile Phone Costs  Expressed in the Equivalent of  Health Care Services/Items  at General Hospital

It is intended that the above table gives we the people a perspective on the real costs of the MISUSE of public funds.  What difference would the provision of these services make to the care,  comfort and dignity of patients at the General Hospital? 

Misuse of public funds robs the country of much needed resources and feeds poverty.  Hopefully, this Digi-Cellgate matter will be a WAKE UP call to we the people to MIND OUR BUSINESS.   What are we going to do about it?

[1]https://www.thegrenadainformer.com/news/item/3269-third-reshuffle-includes-a-new-face

[2]https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-scott-0366a769

[3] Duncan, Richard W.(1996), Walking the Straight and Narrow:  Issues and Perspectives in Grenada’s Public Administration, pg.33