President Surangel Whipps Jr. departed yesterday for a three-week vacation with his family in the United States, as announced at the last press conference.
The travel is personal travel for himself and his family and not at the expense of the government, Whipps explained. Whipps family will go to Disney World in Florida and Disney Land in California for their family vacation. Toward the end of his trip, President Whipps will receive an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Andrews University, a Seventh Day Adventist University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA.
In his absence, his ministers will manage the affairs of their ministries except for “matters pertaining to employment contracts, personnel actions and appointments” per the Delegation of Authority issued in a memorandum to the Vice President and Minister of Justice Uduch Sengebau-Senior.
Whipps delegated authority to Vice President Senior to act on his behalf in his absence. He restricted procurement of anything over $10,000 by the ministries but gave Vice President discretion to decide on a case-by-case basis.
President Whipps has had a busy travel schedule since the start of 2022, spending about one to two weeks on the island while others are spent traveling outside of the country for meetings and conferences.