The government side of the Public Accounts Committee is refuting the Opposition’s accusation that the PPP/C government is attempting to avoid scrutiny.
In a release yesterday, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill (a PAC member) expressed his determination to “set the record straight” regarding what he saw as another attempt by the Opposition to “mamaguy” [hoodwink] the Guyanese people.
To bolster his point, the Minister noted that the PAC is currently examining the 2019 Auditor General’s Report. This report, he explained, happens to be from the year after the successful passage of the December 21, 2018, Motion of No Confidence, which he contended, should have led to an election within three months. He also pointed out that this is the period during which the APNU+AFC refused to demit office. As such, he argued that it is “abundantly clear,” that the current APNU+AFC Opposition would have preferred a situation, where three of their members could meet as the PAC, and gloss over the illegalities, corruption, mismanagement, and maladministration, that occurred during that period.
Edghill was referring to changes made to the Standing Orders governing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which was adjusted, requiring that a quorum for a meeting can only be called if two members of government, two members of the opposition and the chairman are present.
A motion tabled on April 13, 2022 in the name of Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira, sought to replace the quorum rule which stipulated the need for the presence of the chairman and two members, irrespective of their party affiliation.
The political Opposition vehemently opposed the quorum change, arguing that the amendment to the Standing Order 82 is an attempt to stymie the work of the PAC and to delay the examination of the public accounts for the years 2020 onwards. Since then, many meetings have been cancelled as government representatives on the PAC have nit turned up.
In the release, Edghill argued that the fact that the PAC quorum has changed, has certainly brought much “grief and pain” to the APNU-AFC because the 2019-2020 period will not disappear, prompting him to declare, “The spending of public funds in 2020, during the five-month period of attempting to steal an election, is next on the agenda. We will see more crocodile tears from the self-righteous.”
The minister is adamant that the APNU+AFC Opposition view that the PPP/C Government is attempting to dodge scrutiny is a “blatant lie” and “bears no merit,” arguing that the PAC is currently reviewing the Auditor General‘s Report for 2019 – a period when the PPP/C was not in office. “This is a clear attempt at obfuscation and is a smoke screen to distract from actions that require closer investigation.”
As far as Edghill is concerned, such conduct cannot be allowed to proceed unchallenged, while arguing that the efficiency of the PAC does not lie in the number of times that it meets, but rather, in what is accomplished during its meetings. Thus, he adds, a change of quorum did not, in any way, shape or form, negatively affect the efficiency of the PAC. Further, PAC meetings are open for public viewing, and as such he holds the view that the Guyanese people are the best jury to pronounce on this matter.
The PAC member took the opportunity to assure that the commitment that the PPP/C government makes to the people of Guyana continues to be congruent with the following principles: full accountability, transparency, and the public purse will be protected at all times.
Reference was made to a newspaper headline, “Govt. dodging PAC meetings to avoid scrutiny of their spending – Opposition,” as an example of a statement that was “ill-advised, unresearched and void of any factual basis,” while offering the following “facts of the matter.”
During the period 2015 to 2020 (5 years) when the APNU+AFC Coalition was in office, the PAC met a total of 46 times. This was compared to the period 2020 to 2023 (3 years) since the PPP/C Administration has been in office with the PAC meeting a total of 58 times.
The release then suggested two questions that should be asked of the Opposition. “1) Is the frequency of PAC meetings a means of topping up parliamentary allowances for opposition members, by filling claims for transportation and other expenditure? Perhaps the parliament office should make public the expenditure incurred by PAC members for attendance. And 2) Why is it that the members of the Opposition would like to gloss over the 2019-2020 period, and, why do they become ‘enraged’ when there is the mention of illegalities?”
The release finally brought into question, the Opposition’s integrity, reminding that they had told the nation, that they won the 2020 General Election, and as such, would make it difficult for the people of Guyana to believe them now.
