On Sunday, it was reported that Dr Balwant Singh, had announced he was resigning from the board of Oxfam, and issued an apology to Halima.

'I feel morally obliged to resign from the Oxfam GB board and my last act before I leave is to apologise to Halima Begum for the cruel and inhumane way she has been treated. We should have been better than this. These governance failings indicated the systemic problems faced by Oxfam GB. The Charity Commission must now remove this board and launch an independent investigation into governance failures.'

It goes without saying that it took enormous courage and integrity for Balwant to take this step, but it raises the question, what next? Please continue to invite people to sign the petition as we expect a decision from the Charity Commission on 2 February. 

Folllowing Balwant's resignation I wrote, again, to the Charity Commission, and then shared that open letter with the trustees. 

Below is the text of both of those communications. 

Governance failings at Oxfam

Dear Oxfam trustees,

I am forwarding the email I sent this morning to the Charity Commission. The contents are self-explanatory. 

I would ask each and every one of you to now consider your position. Things cannot go on like this at Oxfam. Dr Begum is of course entitled to a full apology for the way she has been treated, but the fact that collectively, as a board, you allowed yourself to authorise her grossly unfair dismissal and the expenditure of charitable funds on a brutal character assassination suggests not just a mistake, but an internal culture that is rotten. 

The creation of a so-called independent investigation overseen by the board itself suggests that you are still seeking to cover up, rather than learn from what has gone wrong and quite frankly it is a joke that no-one is laughing at. 

You have failed in your collective responsibilities as trustees, and for the good of the charity and its beneficiaries, please step down, add your voice to that of Dr Singh, calling for the Charity Commission to address the governance issues, and allow others to undertake the tasks necessary so that Oxfam can regain its credibility. 

You may of course be advised that an alternative is to sit tight and hope the storm blows over. But as each of you will know in your heart, there are more revelations to come, and none of what has happened is defensible. 

Today, Oxfam published an excellent report: 'Resisting the rule of the rich', illustrating how gross inequalities of wealth corrode democracy. Please do not let your failings as trustees overshadow the good work done by the organisation, and perhaps consider whether the undue influence of wealthy men is not just a question for the wider world, but one that has had unhealthy implications within the organisation itself.

I am sure none of you became a trustee with the intention of using charitable funds to blacken the name of a respected sector leader, but for some reason, that is where you have ended up. The right thing to do is to acknowledge and learn from these failings, resign, and reflect on what went wrong. 

Regards,

John Page

Dear Julia,

Open letter to the Charity Commission re governance failings at Oxfam.

I wrote to the Commission raising concerns about Oxfam on 17 December, and to you personally in your role as chair on 5 January. I am writing to update you on recent press revelations and the ongoing concerns of those who petitioned the Commission.

Well over 1,000 people have now signed the petition calling on you to investigate the governance issues at Oxfam.

In response to public concerns, about ten days ago, Oxfam announced that it was commissioning what it described as an ‘independent’ investigation into the enforced departure of its former Chief Executive Dr Halima Begum. There are a number of problems with this approach. Not least that Oxfam had previously commissioned the ‘independent’ investigation into Dr Begum, an investigation which appears from press reports to have been nothing more than an attempt to collect ‘dirt’ that would be used to brief the press in an attempt to justify a dismissal that had already been determined (albeit without any due process). The so called ‘independent’ investigation did not even bother to put any concerns to Dr Begum. Oxfam therefore has form for advancing the position already agreed by the trustees under the cloak of an ‘independent’ investigation.

Secondly, the investigation is to be overseen by board members. In other words, it will not be independent at all but will be overseen by the very people who are the subject of the allegations of malpractice/incompetence.

Finally, Oxfam has publicly asserted that ‘it had confidence in the integrity of the processes involved in Begum’s departure’. Let us be clear about that process, it was a board decision based on a report whose concerns had never been put to Dr Begum,  and which involved no right of reply. In other words, despite the very obvious breaches of ACAS guidance, and basic rules of natural justice,  the board has already closed its mind to any criticism, and restated its confidence in its own decisions.

For a charity of this size, with such an abysmal record of governance, particularly with regard racism, sexism, bullying and safeguarding, it cannot be right for the Charity Commission to sit back and allow them to be the judge of their own alleged failings. To do so will not only bring the sector into disrepute but will also cast doubt on the judgement of the Commission itself.

The petition I started now has 1127 signatories, after Oxfam announced its ‘independent’ review, I asked the petitioners whether they were satisfied with Oxfam’s announcement, or whether they still believed that the Commission should step in. The view was a 100% rejection of the suggestion that Oxfam could be trusted to address the governance issues that exist at board level.

You may also be aware that Oxfam trustee, Dr Balwant Singh was quoted in the press over the weekend: ‘I feel morally obliged to resign from the Oxfam GB board and my last act before I leave is to apologise to [Begum] for the cruel and inhumane way she has been treated. We should have been better than this.’ He went on: ‘These governance failings indicated the systemic problems faced by Oxfam GB. The Charity Commission must now remove [this board] and launch an independent investigation into governance failures.’ When a trustee feels the need to step down and call for the removal of the remaining board it cannot be appropriate for the Commission to leave the remaining board members, unaccountable to any membership, to give themselves a clean bill of health.

As you know, sexism/misogyny in the INGO sector and governance failures of Oxfam in relation to the Haiti scandal hurt the wider sector badly. Now we have an example of oen of the relatively few women of colour in a senior leadership position who, if the allegations are correct, has been treated appallingly for complaining about racism and sexism. This is undoubtedly a matter of significant public interest that the regulator should address.

Please do now take your responsibilities seriously and step in to address the governance failings at Oxfam.  

Regards,

John Page