PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Claret Connor has acknowledged errors and inconsistencies in ministerial decrees published in the National Gazette on October 9, 2026, saying further verification is needed to establish where the discrepancies occurred and what corrective action is required.
Addressing the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday, October 21, Connor said the problems include missing dates and reference numbers, incomplete information, and technical references appearing in the published documents.
“The ministry recognizes the importance of ensuring that official government decisions are accurately documented and published, and takes these concerns extremely seriously,” Connor said.
However, the minister did not identify the affected decrees, explain the consequences for the persons or institutions involved, or set a deadline for completing the review.
Connor said preparing, approving, administratively handling, and publishing ministerial decrees involve several stages across different ministries and departments.
Some of those processes remain manual, which he said can increase the possibility of administrative and technical errors.
That explanation did not establish where the problems originated. Connor said further checks would be necessary before the department could determine responsibility for the discrepancies and the appropriate response.
The minister explained that the Department of Public Health began an exercise in 2025 to ensure that decrees within its responsibility were published as required. The October 2026 publication formed part of that effort to improve administrative compliance and transparency.
“The ministry will coordinate with the relevant departments to review the discrepancies and determine what corrections, if any, are necessary,” he said.
The ministry will seek legal advice where clarification is required.
Connor also pointed to efforts to develop a digital permit-processing system and strengthen document verification, describing these as part of broader administrative improvements.
The immediate questions remain which documents require correction, when accurate versions will be published, and whether the errors affect the implementation of any decisions. The briefing did not resolve those questions.
