Dear Editor,
There seems to be a disturbing trend in which the findings of the Auditor General are coming under increasing attacks from Heads of Government Agencies.
The most recent attack came from the Mayor of Georgetown who reportedly took strong objections to the AG’s Report regarding financial mismanagement at the City Council.
Similar attacks were made by none other than the Finance Minister who even went further to insinuate that the AG’s Report ought to have been cleared by him before being presented to the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Such utterances do not bode well for accountability and transparency in Guyana and can only serve to undermine integrity and confidence in the Office of the Auditor General.
The Office of the Auditor General is completely autonomous from the Government and for good reason. It is accountable only to Parliament through the Public Accounts Committee before which all accounting officers of Government agencies are required to appear annually to explain any apparent breaches or infractions in the financial management of their respective agencies.
The days when the Auditor General’s Report had to be cleared by the Finance Minister is long over and the Finance Minister of all persons ought to be perfectly aware of this new dispensation.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
