Accountability Watch

Last Friday, there was a launching of my book entitled “Public Accountability at the Crossroads: the Guyana Experience” under the auspices of the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc.

Last Friday, the National Assembly approved of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2015 which had been the subject of bitter disagreement since 2012 between the previous Administration and the then political Opposition.

The new Administration has announced that it is reviewing the performance and efficiency of publicly owned entities, statutory bodies, projects and activities financed by or through public funds.

Last Wednesday saw the opening of the eleventh Parliament of Guyana with the much-welcome fanfare, pomp and ceremony, following the 11 May 2015 national and regional elections.

Reports emanating from the Office of the Presidency indicated that several persons have had their contracts terminated for blogging and fictitious letter-writing in the print media on behalf of the then ruling party.

Last week, we carried our first article since the new Administration took up office following the 11 May 2015 national and regional elections.

Monday, 11 May 2015, was a historic day for Guyana, as citizens across the length and breadth of Guyana came out in their numbers to cast their votes for the political parties of their choice.

This column joins the several individuals and organisations, including the  diplomatic community, in congratulating the APNU-AFC coalition on winning the 2015 general and regional elections.

Today is Election Day. It is the sincere hope of this column that peace will prevail in an atmosphere free of fear or intimidation, as citizens proceed to cast their votes for the political parties of their choice.

This is the fourth part of a series of articles on public financial management in Guyana’s post-Independence period.

This is the third article in a four-part series on the above subject.

About a week ago, the ruling party placed an advertisement in the Kaieteur News highlighting an article in the Guyana Chronicle dating back to November 1992.

Last week, we began a discussion of Guyana’s public financial management systems in both the pre-1992 and post-1992 periods.

Guyana has had a sad history of public accountability since it attained its Independence.

The head of NICIL, Mr. Winston Brassington announced that the Marriott Hotel will open its doors next month.

So far, we have carried two articles on the Administration’s efforts to access $3 billion from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to accelerate its housing programme in an apparent attempt to secure a political advantage in the run-up to the national elections.

We must set our face sternly against corruption and extravagance. We cannot have a Cadillac style living with donkey cart economies.

Last week, we discussed the Court ruling on the excess expenditure of $4.554 billion that the Minister of Finance had authorised without prior parliamentary approval.

Last Friday, two news items caught my eyes. The first was the Chief Justice’s ruling that the Minister of Finance violated the Constitution by authorising withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund without parliamentary approval, thereby causing excess expenditure totalling $4.554 billion to be incurred during the first half of 2014.

Before we begin our final in a four-part series on the above subject, I refer to the comments of the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on our two recent articles on the Fibre Optic Cable Project.