Advisor fired himself, says Antigua-Barbuda minister
Dean Jonas
by Norman 'Gus' Thomas
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Thursday, October 21, 2004
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua: One of two senior
government officials who was sent on one month suspension for allegedly
attempting to influence the Tenders Board over the sale of the Antigua Public
Utilities Authority's cellular arm, PCS, to Digicel, is vowing to deal firmly
with the persons who he claims have attempted to ruin his reputation.
"It is my intention to pursue all appropriate action as I may be advised, to
restore my reputation, to prosecute the persons and entities that have
maliciously sought to destroy it." The former
Special Advisor to the Communication and Works Minister, Wilmouth Daniel,
stressed that he is firm in his conviction that he "has always acted honestly
and faithfully" in discharging his functions and duties.
Jonas in a letter to Daniel dated Tuesday, October 19th, 2004, also said that
his action comes as a result of the "unreasonable conduct of the Minister of
Works and Communications and of his Permanent Secretary which I have been
advised, amounts to a constructive dismissal, entitling me to claim
compensation for unfair dismissal. In particular, the Permanent Secretary,
purporting to exercise the power which he does not have, has suspended me
without due process and procedural fairness and without any justification."
Jonas revealed that his salary was cut in
half and his benefits stripped while on suspension.
He went on to add that, the minister appeared on Observer Radio and declared
that, "I would be no longer be working with him. In those circumstances, there
is a clear repudiation of my contract by government."
Jonas said he has never been presented with the facts which led to his
suspension, adding that he has never acted in a manner that was inconsistent
with his functions. However, Minister Daniel
is of the view that Jonas, after being silent on the matter for weeks, now
realizes that he is in serious trouble and wants to find a way out.
"I am not a lawyer, but Dean Jonas was suspended for a month, and I am not
aware that the month has ended, and if Mr. Jonas now resigns on his own
volition, it simply means that he himself has resigned and not that he was
dismissed. “He was suspended pending
investigation, so in terms of him now resigning, I think that, a mean, he
realizes now that he finds himself in serious trouble. Whoever is advising him
probably advised him to get out of the kitchen and resign because nobody fired
him, at least no yet…," Daniel, who has been given the call-name "pit-bull"
because of his aggressive style, said on Observer Radio Wednesday.
The country's Director of Public Prosecutions is expected to launch a full
inquiry into the matter.
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