Dear Editor,
The Editorial in Sunday’s Stabroek News, captioned ‘PAC scandal’, has eloquently captured the grim reality of the happenings of our times and provided a clear picture of the hypocrisy of the ruling regime’s approach to good governance. Despite the revelations made, it is absolutely unacceptable and outrageous that the Public Accounts Committee, for the third consecutive week, will not be meeting on its statutory meeting day due to the government members’ unavailability to attend. This is a blatant disregard for the responsibilities they were elected to uphold on behalf of the people of Guyana.
The government’s consistent failure to show up and do the work they were elected to do is a microcosm of the unacceptable reality of many other committees of the National Assembly where committees just don’t meet. The Natural Resources Committee, for example, which should be meeting, given Guyana’s resource-rich status and the possibilities for transformation with our new oil-rich resource, has not met since the inception of this Parliament. The Assembly’s Committee, of which the Speaker of the Parliament is the Chairman, met only once in three years. There are other committees too numerous to mention where meeting to do the work leaves much to be desired.
What is most concerning about this particular cancelation of the Public Accounts Committee meeting is the lead up to it. The Clerk of the Committee had informed the committee that a quorum would not be present on Monday because government members had indicated they would not be present. However, the Public Accounts Committee is guided by the decisions of the committee, and the statutory meeting day for PAC is Mondays. Despite this, the Speaker informed the Clerk not to proceed with the directive to send out the notice in compliance with the standing order.
This level of interference is alarming, and it is evident that the government is afraid of transparency and accountability, which are the twin cardinal principles that lend to good governance. The deliberate derailing and stymieing of the work of the PAC by the government is unacceptable, and it is time for the people of Guyana to demand the accountability they deserve. The government must be held accountable for their actions and lack of commitment to the responsibilities they were elected to uphold. We cannot afford to sit idly by while our democracy is eroded and our rights trampled upon. The time for action is now.
Sincerely,
Jermaine Figueira MP
Chairman
Public Accounts Committee
Parliament of Guyana