The public fallout between King and the ERC Chairman deepened with the release of the statement which alleged among other things, that Edghill deliberately undermined her authority and fought to have her removed so “he could continue his free reign with the day to day operations of the Commission”.
In a statement last evening the ERC said it will respond at the appropriate time if deemed necessary, noting that issues raised by King will be addressed by the Commission shortly. The Chairman said he would not dignify the statement with a response, but he noted that the minutes of the Commission which were taken by King will show that none of the things she complained about in her statement were ever raised.
Speaking on the issue for the first time since her contract was terminated on October 24, King said, Edghill used a press conference [last week] to malign her character in the cheapest of ways by suggesting publicly that her termination was a consequence of her performance or a lack of. She expressed disgust at the charges levelled against her by Edghill and referred to the accusations as “baseless, unfounded, without merit and clearly calculated to sully my hitherto unblemished record as a public servant”.
She also contended that from around 2006,”a clear division along racial lines became evident among the (ERC) staff in terms of privileges and benefits accruing to them”.
King said that she acted professionally during her five-year tenure on the Commission, recalling that she had never been the subject of any complaint or sanction. She rejected statements which she said Edghill made about her walking into meetings with recording devices and leaking confidential information. King also stated that she was not linked to a picketing exercise outside the ERC on October 26, and that she was not behind any threats made to the ERC office on that same day.
According to her, Edghill single-handedly degraded the office of the Chief Executive Officer by seeking to personally discharge the responsibilities of the office. She said he started tasking the staff without her knowledge and monitored the time book, in addition to choosing the styles of staff uniforms. “In league with the Administrative Officer the Chairman, Bishop Juan Edghill quickly assumed the management of the Secretariat. Thereafter I found it useless to make administrative decisions, since if Bishop Edghill did not agree with it, the decision was soon overturned”, King stated.
King said yesterday that she was no longer allowed to function fully in the capacity of CEO, stating that while she prepared all correspondence, documents and reports, Edghill took over fully the day to day management of the office with the willing support of the Administrative Officer. She said the Chairman made it quite clear that he was the only person authorized to speak on behalf of the Commission. She said too that the Commission’s two vehicles have since been put to personal use.
But in an apparent response to King, Edghill was quoted in the ERC statement as saying, “Your character is not what you pretend to be it is what you are when under pressure, the public will decide… It is out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, the public is having a good understanding of the heart, thought and intentions of the author of the statement”. He said also that truth needs no crutches, adding that if it does, it is a lie.
He said also that the public needs to be reminded there was a general and regional election in 2006, noting that ERC played a major role in the former. Edghill said during that period and even to present he has resisted several attempts at political interference, manipulation, intimidation and control from forces known and unknown. Edghill highlighted instances of threats to his life, tampering of vehicles he uses, break-ins to his office during working hours and the desecration of his office with what was described as the sprinkling of ‘obeah’. According to him, stains are evident on his carpet until now. Edghill asked sarcastically whether these are all figments of my imagination.
“I have taken an oath of office that I will discharge the functions of my office without ill will or malice, without fear or favour. I am on public record saying and I stand by that, ‘I wash feet not faces’ I deal with principles not personalities”, Edghill said also.
King continued in her statement that a series of uncomfortable incidents unfolded during her years at ERC which led to the dismissal of staff. She alleged that on one occasion Edghill and another Commissioner tried to trump up a charge of racism against her because she had enquired into a matter and attempted to discipline a staff member. “Since then the Commissioners were scheming to terminate my services”, King said.
King said she repeatedly highlighted to Edghill and individual members of the Commission the difficulties which were likely to ensue as a result of the overreaching and interventions of the Chairman. She also noted that Edghill and selected members of staff showed resistance to administrative policies and practices which she introduced for the smooth functioning of the Commission’s Secretariat, and alleged that a clear division along racial lines became evident in terms of privileges and benefits accruing to the staff.
King joined the ERC in 2004 and assumed the position of CEO. At a statutory meeting of the Commission on October 24 a request was made for King to resign and she refused. Later that day a letter was dispatched to King informing her of the non-renewal of her contract with the ERC.
