Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting, the Hon. Myles Laroda responded to concerns on Monday about the reallocation of funds to cover the costs of a memorial held for the late Hon. Obadiah Wilchcombe in 2023.
Laroda told ZNS News, “the reality of the matter is the cost that were borne was shared by the Minister of Social Services, the Department of Social Services, the Minister of Tourism and also Urban Renewal. Within the Social Services we had various departments with different line items so it wasn’t one area it was at least three areas of which funding came towards defraying the cost of the memorial.”
The Minister also had a message for members of the media. He said, “Minister Wilchcombe tragically died. All of the government agencies that he worked with or that he touched namely the Minister of Tourism, ZNS, BIS, Department of Social Services, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Renewal were responsible for the memorial service. All of those departments Ministry of Tourism, Urban Renewal, the Ministry and Department of Social Services contributed towards the memorial. And that within the department and the Ministry of Social Services itself funds came from at least three different departments in contributing towards the overall cost for the ministry.”
Laroda was responding to an article carried on a local morning daily on Monday as well as comments from the shadow Minister of Social Services, Sen. Hon. Maxine Seymour.
