The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Jermaine Figueira is concerned that the “Government is currently spending millions and billions of dollars unchecked…but we are only on 2017, 2018, and 2019 audited accounts. And that’s what they want, they don’t want us to go to the 2020 audits” according to a Kaieteur News recent report.
The PPP is accused of hindering the work of the PAC. The PPP demanded the removal of the former PAC Chairman David Patterson; fought against the motion to hold more frequent meetings to get through the backlog of work and now have changed the Standing Orders to make any meeting they refuse to attend void by default.
The most recent attack on the PAC sees the PPP change the quorum to require 2 PPP representatives to be present in order for any meeting to be conducted. This empowers the PPP to prevent any PAC meeting by simply refusing to show up. They may also kill any meeting that is not going in their favor by simply walking out. This makes it impossible for the Parliament of Guyana to scrutinize the spending of the PPP without gaining permission to do so from the PPP.
The APNU+AFC MP’s have shown commitment to the work of the PAC with MP Juretha Fernandes, for example, having a perfect attendance record and having not missed any PAC meeting. Now, thanks to the change in the standing order, the PPP’s lack of punctuality has become a direct threat to the work of the PAC. This is a severe blow to the fight against corruption in Guyana.
More, In The Ring.
