Minister Defends NICH Audits Amid Union Criticism

Minister of Culture Francis Fonseca has pushed back against union demands for audits of statutory bodies, specifically addressing concerns raised about the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH). Fonseca stated that NICH undergoes annual audits and has consistently provided financial statements through the proper channels. He described the recent call by PSU President Dean Flowers as “showmanship,” noting that the matter has already been discussed extensively at Joint Union Negotiating Team meetings. 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Culture & Immigration: “NICH has never had anything to hide. We have audited financial statements. We have an audit done every year so there’s nothing new about that. We’ve discussed this many times with the JUNT. You know that’s a little bit of showmanship because Flowers knows that we have discussed this issue around the negotiating table and every time they’ve asked for information we’ve made that information available through the Ministry of Finance. So there’s a process and a structure in place for them to get information so there’s no need to any showmanship and circus when it comes to those issues. Those are serious matters and we deal with them around the table.”

Fonseca emphasized that a clear structure exists for accessing such information and insisted that issues of accountability should be handled seriously and not turned into public spectacle.