SINT MAARTEN (COLE BAY) - The General Audit Chamber took public financial management beyond reports and into conversation during an interactive workshop with the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset on Monday.
The session focused on how public money is managed, the role of the General Audit Chamber, and how citizens can play a more active role in accountability.
A highlight was the presentation of the Audit Chamber’s Interactive Environment, a digital tool designed to make information about government finances and public accountability easier to understand. Participants were shown how the platform explains where tax money goes, how the Audit Chamber conducts its work, and findings from audits relevant to everyday life in St. Maarten.
The platform also gives citizens practical accountability tools, including a petition template, while the Audit Chamber’s Audit Intelligence chatbot allows users to explore audit information and ask questions in a more accessible way.
But the technology did not become the biggest part of the evening. The questions did.
What was originally designed as a 45-to-60-minute session grew to nearly an hour and a half as Rotarians questioned Audit Chamber representatives on public spending, accountability and the work of the institution. The extended discussion reflected one of the main goals of the workshop: creating space for citizens to better understand government finances and ask informed questions about how public resources are managed.
The Audit Chamber was represented by Vice-Chair Mandy Offringa, Secretary General Keith de Jong and Public Auditor Ralph Cantave, a Chamber associate supporting its research, audits and communications work.
Members of other Rotary clubs were also present, along with Rotary Assistant/Area Governor for Anguilla, St. Maarten and St. Martin Jeffrey “Dr. Soc” Sochrin.
Rotary Sunset President Jade Maccow described the session as “a fruitful and enriching experience,” adding that it provided members with valuable insight into “transparency, accountability, and responsible financial management within our community.”
For the General Audit Chamber, the workshop forms part of a broader effort to make public accountability understandable and accessible, not only to Parliament and government, but to the people whose money is being managed.
