Latest update December 19th, 2024 12:24 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

The Minister of Education should lead by example

Apr 09, 2014 Letters

Dear Editor,
For years we have been constantly calling for strengthening the institution of Parliament to make it a fierce watchdog of the people’s interest, and monitoring spending by the Cabinet, public servants and State enterprises.
Parliament should not merely be a tool of the Cabinet; in fact it must ensure the effective supervision of public expenditure to achieve transparency, accountability, good governance and lack of corruption? Further, Parliamentary Committees must be empowered with the authority and resources to investigate malfeasance and recommend criminal investigations into possible misconduct of public officials, including ministers.
Although no one should be above the law some senior public officials and their relatives have committed traffic and other serious offences but were not charged and prosecuted.
The majority opposition must ensure, for the sake of the people,  that the minority PPP Government is constitutionally obligated to conduct negotiations with the Parliament on the annual budget, national policies and legislation instead of the ritual of useless and senseless debate with its hollow posturing and grandstanding with the PPP Government always getting its way. When will the opposition act?
We called for the transformation of Parliament from its current fish market rowdiness into the real august house it ought to be. Parliament should not be used for MPs to insult or abuse each other like what the Minister of Education Pyria Manickhand did to APNU MP, Mr. Jaipaul Sharma that caused him to resign.
The minister ought to know that she should lead by example if she wants the children of Guyana to do the same. How can she rebuke any child who misbehaves in the school? Is this the case of do what I say and not do what I do?
We need a Parliament with a genuine separation of powers that gives it dynamism, independence and creativity; a Parliament liberated from the dominance by the government. We would like to point out that since independence in 1966, we have had massive waste, gross mismanagement and thievery and our Parliament has done absolutely nothing to stop it.
And since Mr. Jagdeo assumed power in 1999, billions of dollars have been wasted or stolen under its very nose. No minister or public official has ended up behind bars, as they do in countries with real Parliaments or  a Congress as is the case of the United States that keep an eye on the people’s interest. We need parliamentary committees with power to summon any public official to an enquiry and where non-attendance or perjury is offences with jail terms. Instead our impotent and manipulative Parliament facilitates corruption and does not have the power to prosecute anyone.
What is happening is that huge sums of money are being allocated, spent, wasted or stolen, and there is no proper arrangement in the Parliament to hold anyone accountable, because the Parliament is not functioning as a supervisory body.
It is estimated that approximately 45 per cent of Government expenditure is wasted or stolen in Guyana and that the people only get value for 55 per cent. And the opposition has done very little to prevent this reckless squandering of the people’s money. This is not what the people voted for!
Our MPs produce good deeds only when it profits them but very rarely do they truly put the people’s interest first. And that is the reason why there are hardly any good politicians in Guyana. Most are driven by selfishness and greed and not by the genuine caring for their country and countrymen, especially the poor and the working class.
We believe that while genuine reform of the Parliament, the establishment of the PC and the passage of the AMLB will reduce corruption and bring good governance to the country, it will also hurt the fortunes of most in the regime, their relatives and friends.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

 

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Shabazz’s termination remains just the tip of the iceberg

Shabazz’s termination remains just the tip of the iceberg

Dec 19, 2024

Dear Sir, Reference is hereby made to the above caption as it relates to: The Golden Jaguars suffered its second consecutive loss to Suriname, by an embarrassing 1-5 margin; in the Dutch speaking...
Read More
Clarendon College too good for Dolphin as Annai Sec’ holds Speyside College to 4-all draw

Clarendon College too good for Dolphin as Annai...

Dec 18, 2024

Glasgow excited for MLS journey with Chicago Fire

Glasgow excited for MLS journey with Chicago Fire

Dec 18, 2024

Matthews slams unbeaten 85 as Windies Women hammer India by nine wickets to level series

Matthews slams unbeaten 85 as Windies Women...

Dec 18, 2024

No room to breathe as five more teams to advance to quarters tomorrow

No room to breathe as five more teams to advance...

Dec 18, 2024

Sammy to be appointed as West Indies Senior Men’s Head Coach for all formats

Sammy to be appointed as West Indies Senior...

Dec 17, 2024

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]