On assuming office, all ministers should relinquish ownership of businesses to avoid potential conflicts of interest, according to Working People’s Alliance (WPA) executive Dr. David Hinds said.
“You cannot successfully serve two masters in small political economies like ours,” Hinds yesterday told Stabroek News in the wake of the recent disclosure that a company owned by Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes was awarded a contract by the Department of Energy (DoE).
“There is always going to be these problems of conflict of interest when business people become political and government leaders. It’s inevitable, even when you have codes of conduct,” he added, while arguing that Hughes should have known that she should relinquish ownership of her company since her APNU+AFC coalition campaigned on being held to a higher standard.