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Improving the conduct of our elections

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By Audley Phillip

The late George Rick James would forever be a name synonymous with General Elections in Antigua. He almost single handedly  led a  fierce and sometimes acrimonious battle to see changes in our electoral process for many years.  He was truly an unsung hero in my book.

I am glad to see that even after his departure from this earth, his work is continuing and the Free and Fair Election League is still alive and well.  This to me is a credit to George Rick James and the remarkable work that he did in sensitizing people to the ins and outs of elections and the need to ensure that we nurture and protect it as much as we can.

The Free & Fair Elections League recently submitted a list of recommendations to Supervisor of Elections, Dame Lorna Simon.  Two recommendations jumped out at me – the counting of ballots at the polling station at which the ballot was cast and implementing a fixed election date.

The counting of ballots at the polling station  is easy and implementable and I am very surprised that this is still not being done in recent elections.  Every polling station is equipped with the personnel and security in order to make this happen simultaneously.

On the issue of fixed election dates, it is generally accepted in the Westminster political system that political parties and their leaders, when it is in their power to so determine, time elections to periods they believe to be to their advantage.  It certainly raises the question as to whether political leaders  should have unfettered  authority in the timing of elections, but politicians see it as a “trump card” and it is unlikely that they would ever be willing to let go of it.

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Improving the conduct of our elections is something every political party should want to do.

The main advantages of vote counting at polling stations are speed and cost effectiveness. The vote counting can start as soon as the polling station closes, and interim results can be released faster than at a counting centre.  As it stands now, it takes several hours to count a few hundred votes and it is quite normal for polling results to be given after midnight and beyond which for a small place like Antigua and Barbuda is unacceptable.

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]