PREMIER Ewart Brown is a bullying tyrant who runs the Tourism Ministry with an iron fist, dismissing the advice of senior Civil Servants in order to dish out Government contracts to friends and associates, it has been claimed.

And morale has sunk so low among Ministry staff, they are urging Auditor General Larry Dennis to carry out a complete audit of the department, investigating not only potential financial irregularities, but also procedural and policy abuses.

Ministry sources, speaking to the Mid Ocean News on condition of anonymity, listed a catalogue of complaints against their boss, including how:

The Premier "manipulates and abuses his position" over staff

Dr. Brown hand-picks the awarding of contracts to consultants, which "are not always awarded to the most qualified company"

Outside consultants openly ignore requests by department officials "because they know that have the ear and support of the Premier"

Morale is at "rock bottom because staff "are being treated in an obnoxious and inhumane manner and are finding themselves in a very difficult position."

Ministry sources also suggested that tenders approved by Cabinet were then altered - but were not sent back to Cabinet for re-approval.

"I am not questioning the Premier's passion for Tourism but that doesn't give him a right to manipulate and abuse his power over people - the only way I can describe it is as complete bullying," one insider said.

"Contracts are not always awarded to the most qualified company. Quite frankly I don't think any of the agencies that have been hired by the Ministry are the best agencies for the job and at the end of the day it is the Premier who has the last word. The administration staff feel let down completely because the Premier decides who gets the contracts. Staff can put forward recommendations but they often feel ignored. He has the last say.

"The consultants often act outside their contractual obligations and are offensive to staff because they feel they only have to answer to one man - the Premier. They are totally disrespectful to staff because they know they can get away with it - they have the ear and the support of the Premier.

"You end up with a situation where the contractor is telling staff what to do. Can you imagine any other jurisdiction in which the contractor is abusive to a government - where the contractor starts dictating terms? Some agencies don't actually work with the Ministry, they fight with it. They don't work with the Civil Service, they work against it.

"Morale is at the lowest I have ever seen it - it really us at rock bottom. Staff are concerned for their emotional and professional well-being - some of them have even become depressed. There doesn't seem to be any clear plan or direction and you can't run a department like that - it's not how you treat people humanely. They are being treated in an obnoxious and inhumane manner and are finding themselves in a very difficult position. You don't put people in a position where they feel totally disenfranchised but that's what's happening in the Tourism Ministry."

The insider also branded Dr. Brown a hypocrite for publicly supporting legislation to reduce harassment within the Civil Service. The Dignity at Work policy was formulated after a 2004 survey showed that more than 20 per cent of Civil Servants felt they had been bullied or harrassed.

Announcing the new scheme, Dr. Brown told colleagues in the House of Assembly last Friday: "We believe when staff are treated fairly and well by their employers, they are more likely to behave in a positive way towards other stakeholders, particularly their clients and in this case, members of the public."

But yesterday the Department of Tourism source said: "I found it ironic that last week the Premier talked about a survey which showed that Civil Servants felt they were being bullied - well he's the main culprit. Other Ministers might not have exercised their powers to the fullest extent but the Premier certainly does."

The Mid-Ocean News understands that Auditor General Mr. Dennis has began an investigation into rumoured financial irregularities within the Ministry. But insiders said that the scope of the probe needed to be broadened.

"I can guarantee that there are certain things the Auditor General will find that will trouble him," one official said.

"Just as an example, every contract that is worth more than $50,000 has to be approved by Cabinet. If that happens, and then the contract is changed, it should go back to Cabinet again. But is that happening?

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"The question is, is the audit going to be of the entire department. Obviously an entire audit would be better because otherwise you won't get the full magnitude of just what might be going on here.

"I'm not just talking about a financial audit. We have to have an audit into whether or not rules and regulations are being observed. Are senior executives acting outside their parameters? The audit needs to be a total one looking at policy and procedures at every level."

The allegations echo concerns made by senior members of the Progressive Labour Party this week.

On Wednesday, The Royal Gazette quoted senior party insiders saying: "The party's problems are based around the leader. People are saying 'Idon't recognise the PLP now - this is not the PLP we believe in', and they track it right back to the current leader."