Regional Executive Officers (REO) and other officials from the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) yesterday began meeting with various ministerial teams to refine their 2017 proposed work programmes and were warned against corrupt practices.
Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan and Permanent Secretary Emil McGarrell facilitated the meeting held at the Umana Yana, according to a press release from the Ministry of Communities. Bulkan outlined that the meeting is geared towards ensuring a financial management system and an astute accountability framework are in place at the regional level.
“At the level of Central Government, we are committed to the highest standards of accountability and transparency”, Bulkan was quoted as saying in the press release. He added, “no corrupt practices will be condoned and should these issues be a recurrent feature at the regions; there will be consequences and repercussions”.
Teams from the Ministries of Finance, Education and Public Infrastructure were present to lend assistance to the fine-tuning of the capital expenditure of the various regions, the release noted. Dr. Hector Butts, Finance Secretary at the Ministry of Finance urged the regional officials to execute their mandates in accordance with the requirements of public accountability and to the satisfaction of their various constituencies.
Regional officials will meet with teams from the Ministries of Health and Agriculture today. The press release also noted that on Wednesday budget presentations had been made to Ministers Bulkan, Valerie Adams-Patterson and Dawn Hastings-Williams by the Guyana Water Inc., Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Sanitation Management Unit, the Community Infrastructural Improvement Programme and the Sustainable Livelihood Entrepreneurial Development Fund.
