The National Assembly might soon be called on to resolve the stalemate which persists at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in relation to the Chairmanship of APNU+AFC MP David Patterson.
“There are three options: Mr Patterson can resign, the motion can be put to a vote in the Committee or the motion will have to go to the House for it to be dealt with. There are only three ways forward,” Minister of Public Works Juan Eghill told this newpaper yesterday, adding that the current intractability of the Opposition suggests that government may have to bring such a motion to the House.
APNU+AFC Member of Parliament and the PAC, Jermaine Figueira in speaking to Stabroek News yesterday acknowledged that there is the option for a motion in the House.
“If the motion is not addressed at the PAC based on the Standing Orders they can take the motion to Parliament and because they have the majority they can remove Patterson from the Chairmanship but not necessarily the Committee though they could probably, based on the Standing Orders, try to do that too but if it goes down that road it sets a bad precedent,” Figueira said.
The motion at reference was laid in the Committee last month by Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira. It calls for Patterson to recuse himself as Chair due to a lack of confidence on the part of the government.
Patterson, who has been the subject of controversy ever since it was revealed that he and his former junior Minister Annette Ferguson accepted millions of dollars in personal gifts from agencies under their purview, has so far resisted all attempts to remove him.
He has been supported by his colleagues in the House and his party the Alliance for Change (AFC).
The last meeting of the PAC on February 1 stalled after Patterson recused himself from the Chair during the consideration of the motion and all other Opposition members refused to take his place.
According to Figueira and Edghill the same thing happened at Monday’s meeting of the PAC.
“Two hours wasted…imagine you have a meeting agenda that does not include the motion which was the subject of the last meeting and then when the agenda is amended the Chair recuses himself but remains in Chamber and no one else takes the chair,” Edghill lamented.
Figueira however maintains that the motion is an improper attempt to dictate to the Opposition.
“We see this as a bad precedent government is attempting to set….They want to say to us who should be chair…the Opposition has reposed confidence in Patterson to be Chairman it is not for the government to like Patterson in that post. That is not our concern,” he stressed adding that it is improper to demand a removal based on an allegation.
“The man has not been found guilty of any criminality or any offence,” Figueira reminded.
The stalemate at the PAC has stalled key work including examination of the backlogged reports of the Office of the Auditor General on the Public Accounts of Guyana and the initiation of the process for the selection of new members of the Public Procurement Commission.
