The Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, today slammed the Guyana Times for what he said were “absurd” figures on planned allowances for ministers.
A Ministry of the Presidency statement said that the Guyana Times erroneously stated in today’s edition that the Minister was proposing per diem allowance increases from $US25 to US$500.
“These things are so absurd and outrageous any decent editor would not even bother to print it, I don’t see how you could be moving an out of pocket allowance from US$25 to US$500 per diem,” the Finance Minister said, according to the statement.
The newspaper also said that the Government was considering increasing allowances for hotel accommodation and meals and was even mulling the institution of US$3000 contingency allowance for Ministers and Advisors when they travel.
The statement said that these claims were strongly refuted by the Minister who assured that no document supporting such an increase exists nor is any such contingency being considered. He dismissed the figures quoted by the newspaper as “outrageous”. Minister Jordan said that he has referred this matter to his lawyers and said that very soon the Guyana Times may get their opportunity to test their contentions and assertions in a court of law.
“There is no document that is suggested that rates are being increased by these scandalous numbers… no Minister of this Government has been granted any contingency allowance to travel abroad,” Jordan stated.
The Minister said that the Government’s main priority is improving accountability and tightening up the way public funds are spent. In this regard, the statement said that he issued a stern warning to Ministers and officials of the former PPP/C Administration who have yet to clear travel advances that are in some cases up to a year old. The Minister called on them to visit the treasury to clear their travel advances, failing which, he would be forced to instruct the Accountant General to take the necessary actions.
The Minister said that the APNU+AFC Government has also taken the decision to discontinue the practice of signing on a statement in lieu of presentation of bills. In the past, the statement said that officials could have simply affixed their signature on a statement saying that money was spent and the advance would have been cleared without having to produce a bill.
“If you do not bring the bills or part of the bills to substantiate your expenditure, you will be required to repay up to 60 percent of the advance…contrary to what people believe that we are raiding the treasury, we are actually tightening up,” Jordan declared.
