Ministers Joseph Harmon’s and Volda Lawrence’s reluctance to provide answers to the public regarding recent controversial actions is at odds with at least two provisions of the Code of Conduct for government ministers, which the David Granger administration is yet to officially implement.
On the ‘Ten Principles of Public Life,’ the code highlights accountability. “Public office holders are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions, and must submit themselves to scrutiny and criticism,” it says. On transparency, the Code says “Ministers should be open about all their public decisions and actions and be prepared to provide explanations when so demanded by the public.”
The code of conduct was promised by the coalition government within the first 100 days in office. In the plan it was promised that the Code of Conduct would be established for parliamentarians, ministers and others holding high positions in public office to abide by and this would include mechanisms for demitting office if in violation of the code.
The APNU+AFC coalition won the May 11, 2015 general elections but 11 months after taking office, the administration is yet to make the code official even though it was said that ministers were abiding by it.
However, after controversies following decisions made by Harmon, who is the Minister of State, and Lawrence, who is the Minister of Social Protection, it has been pointed out that their reluctance to provide answers have put them at odds with the Code.
Harmon has been beset by a string of allegations pertaining to his appointment of businessman Brian Tiwarie as a business adviser, interfering with the work of the Guyana Revenue Authority and a still-to-be-explained trip to China where he had contact with representatives of controversial logging company, Baishanlin.
Within a day of the revelation of Tiwarie’s appointment, Granger rescinded the appointment, saying that Tiwarie’s services were not needed.
Harmon has not spoken publicly on the allegations and has indicated that he would not do so since Granger has spoken on the matter.
The AFC on Sunday, said the concentration of various powers in Harmon was responsible for the problems that had flared up in recent days around the government. The AFC mandated its leadership at Cabinet to raise the matter of Harmon’s powers at Tuesday’ Cabinet meeting and did so but from all reports received by Stabroek News it didn’t get very far.
In relation to Lawrence, she has yet to speak on her attempts to shield an APNU+AFC candidate who was accused of child molestation. The candidate, Winston Harding has been charged more than once in the past but not convicted and is the subject of an ongoing matter.
The minister had downplayed the accusations as a “family issue” and this triggered protests by rights organisations who have called for the minister to be removed.
Granger recently said there are no plans to dismiss Lawrence over her comments. He also said that he had received an explanatory report from Lawrence on Harding’s candidature on the APNU+AFC slate and has forwarded that report to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). He noted that any disciplinary action taken against Lawrence will have to come from the party and that there is no “question of her arbitrary dismissal from her ministerial position.”
The matter was expected to be discussed last night at a PNCR CEC meeting. “It concerns the process, I asked her to explain the circumstances under which Mr Winston Harding was elected or selected as a candidate and she has written me and that report has been submitted to the Central Executive Committee of the party which will examine it on Wednesday night,” Granger told reporters on Monday.
Despite the commitment to be accountable and transparent in their actions in the Code of Conduct, thus far Harmon and Lawrence have not done so in relation to these issues.
