After a lengthy debate this morning, the People’s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C) Members of Parliament (MPs) along with the representative of the list joinder Lenox Shuman voted in favour of a motion to remove Opposition Member David Patterson as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The PPP/C members of the PAC have been attempting since February 1 to remove Patterson from the chairmanship according to the motion because of “exposures during the examination of the 2016 Auditor General’s Report.” Patterson has been accused of accepting gifts from agencies under his portfolio when he was Minister of Public Infrastructure.
The debate on the motion began shortly after 12:00 am this morning after it was presented by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira. Following the debate, which concluded at 5:22 am, a division was called and 31 MPs from the main opposition voted against the motion while 33 from the Government’s side voted in favour. Shuman who sits on the opposition benches also voted in favour of the motion.
Earlier this month, Parliament Office circulated the motion in the name of Teixeira for Patterson’s removal due to his alleged violations of the Committee’s Standing Orders.
“Be it resolved that as a result of Mr. David Patterson’s conduct as Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee with respect to his open violation of the Standing Orders… in particular since February 1, the majority of the members of the Public Accounts Committee have lost confidence in him as the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee,” the motion read.
The specific conduct attributed to Patterson is a failure to “put” a motion for his removal to the Committee before vacating the seat of Chair at four consecutive meetings. Patterson is also accused of refusing to adhere to a direction from the Speaker that he put the motion to a vote.
“David Patterson has demonstrated that he has no respect for the Speaker of the National Assembly and, it would appear, in the absence of a response to the Speaker’s letter he is unprepared to obey the Speaker’s instruction; he has disregarded the advice of the Clerk of the National Assembly on several occasions with regard to the Standing Orders and is resolute in his refusal, using all forms of subterfuge, to allow the motion for his removal to be “put” to the vote,” Teixeira’s motion stated.
