Peeping Tom...OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES MUST BE IN TOUCH WITH WHAT IS GOING ON

Peeping Tom…OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES MUST BE IN TOUCH WITH WHAT IS GOING ON

Aug 22, 2008 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

School is in recess and the kids are entitled to have fun and do all the things that children do during their vacations. This is a time for them to play, go and visit family, attend the many camps and fun activities that they have, perhaps take in some of the festivities of CARIFESTA X, watch extra television and do all the things that would make their August break enjoyable.

This is not however to say that because they are out of school, school should be out of them. I have always, for example, recommended to parents that they encourage their children during this period to do some reading, to visit places of interest where they can learn different things.

This is why I have always insisted that despite allowing the children to have fun during the August holidays, they should also engage in some educational activities, but done in a less formal way than what takes place in the classroom. In this sense you can say that learning never ends for children.

The same principle applies, I think, to our parliamentarians. Parliament is in recess at the moment until October. Our elected representatives enjoy a vacation from the rigours of the legislative assembly. There will be no sitting until October, unless of course there are compelling reasons for the assembly to be summoned, something that we are told is likely to happen to consider wire-tapping legislation.

Even though parliament is in recess, it does not mean that the politicians are totally divorced from politics in the same way as children should not consider their August vacation as being unrelated to learning.

Parliamentarians have to be constantly monitoring political, economic and social development in
the country, particularly in their constituencies. One therefore always expects our elected representatives to be in touch with what is going on and to be able at any moment to offer some comment on breaking developments in the country.

It was therefore surprising to have read recently about a parliamentarian who claims not to have as yet read the 2006 Auditor General’s Report. It could have been that the actual report may not as yet have been in wide circulation but this does not excuse the lack of familiarity with its contents which has been given very wide publicity in the media.

I have seen another parliamentarian from the Alliance For Change offer a number of critical comments on the report and this shows this particular member is keeping abreast of things and has studied what has emerged from the 2006 report.

The Public Accounts Committee will of course be summoned in October, when parliament comes out of recess, and at that time will be able to discuss the report, but this does not prevent individual members from offering a comparison between the two reports.

This is something of a disappointment, because when one considers the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been allegedly mishandled by the administration it does mean that we face a serious problem with the management of public funds.

It is disturbing that so many things are happening in Guyana and we are not seeing and/or hearing more from the opposition and civil society.

It is time that people raise their voices and register their concerns. Unless this is done, what we will have is a recurrence of the same unwanted situation, year after year.

I also support the call of the Alliance For Change for the Auditor General to be confirmed. I believe such a confirmation which should be demanded by the joint opposition would allow for greater independence of the Office of the Auditor General.

While that office needs a great deal of resources, it has, through the 2006 Report, demonstrated that it is capable of dealing professionally with the accounts of the government.

The Auditor General must continue to be fearless in his independence. He should not allow himself to become an agent of the administration.

He needs the support of the Guyanese people. He needs the support of our elected
representatives who could at least ensure that they study his report long before parliament convenes in October.

Before I end my contribution today, I wish on behalf of this column to extend to our editor Adam Harris my deepest condolences on the passing of his relative.

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Peeping Tom…OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES MUST BE IN TOUCH WITH WHAT IS GOING ON

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