Guyanese Online

 – says Committee Chairman Jermaine Figueira

Jermaine Figueira

Apr 10, 2022 –Kaieteur News – The Chairman of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Jermaine Figueira has noted with great concern a motion submitted by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira to amend the Standing Orders which deals with the quorum for the PAC.

According to a statement issued by Figueira, who is also an A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament (MP), the proposed amendment will make way for the PAC to mimic the standing order of the Parliamentary Management Committee, which provides for five members to be a quorum of which– two members represent government, two represent the opposition and in which the speaker or deputy speaker is the Chairman.     

DIAGRAM — PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE

Figueira explained that the current quorum for a PAC meeting is three members, irrespective of party affiliation, which makes it vastly different from all other committees of the Parliament and provides for a more independent and apolitical environment.

According to the Chair, the proposed motion by the Minister, who is also member of the PAC (which in fact should not have government ministers), seeks to change a quorum to five members to stymie the work of the committee.

“We in the APNU+AFC are confident that the effect of this motion will be that by their mere non-attendance, the PPP will stymie the functioning of the PAC rendering it impotent and nonfunctional,” he said.

The APNU+AFC MP noted that the change of the quorum will also impact negatively on the committees’ ability to ensure accountability and transparency in the expenditures.

He noted that since the 12th Parliament, the PAC has been carrying out its mandate and meeting on every statutory date, and our work has been executed in a very efficient manner.

He explained, “We see this as another attempt to slow down the work of the PAC by the PPP, to ensure that fewer meetings are held, and on occasions if they do not want certain agencies examined, they can now prevent that by simply not attending PAC.”

Further, Figueira noted that the other APNU+AFC MPs are alarmed that the matter has never been discussed at the level of the PAC, although the mover of the motion is a member of the said committee.
“We are concerned that this motion is being brought directly to the House and not via the Standing Orders Committee which is the long established and correct route…

It is noteworthy that none other than the Speaker of the National Assembly is the Chairman of the Standing Orders Committee, and he has never called a single meeting of the committee since the life of the 12th Parliament began in August 2020,” Figueira said.
As such, the party is convinced, more than ever, that the PPP/C administration is not concerned with good governance, transparency and accountability of the people’s resources of this country.

“We call on the Speaker to act and the people of Guyana to speak out against this deliberate act to prevent scrutiny, hinder the proper examination of national expenditures and to limit the PAC’s work to hold government and accounting officers accountable,” Figueira added.