PAC not meeting for three consecutive weeks is not distortion of facts

Dec 20, 2022 Letters

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Dear Editor,

With the passage of time, I have learned that some men of the cloth have perfected the art of using words blended with religious scriptures to convince and persuade their listeners of their intended plot.  I also learned it is a sign of maturity of intelligence when one can read not only what is on the lines but between the lines.
Mr. Editor , I take this opportunity to respond to a letter I shudder to believe was penned  by the religious Bishop turn politician Mr. Juan Edghill, on the PPP’s efforts to curtail the work of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which appeared in the Stabroek News 14/12/2022.

In his missive, the Minister posited “I wish to denounce untruthful statements made by Opposition MP Jermaine Figueira in an article published in a daily newspaper headlined “Govt. members a no-show at PAC for three consecutive weeks.”

What is untrue about this undeniable fact?

The PAC not meeting for three consecutive weeks is not distorting the facts, Minister Bishop Edghill; it is nothing but the truth. The gospel you want Guyana to believe is misleading and grounded in deception.
Mr. Editor notices for all meetings of the PAC are sent to all nine members of the  PAC and advisors at the same time, so how is it, for over seven called meetings, the PPP could not have two of its five competent members on the Committee available to form the quorum? Is this not a deliberate effort to stall the work of the PAC?

It was the PPPC who changed the rules of the quorum, now they are intentionally collapsing, stalling and stymieing the work of the PAC by their non-attendance of which he alluded to in his so-called fact #1, to ensure that current year findings in the Auditor General’s Report are not addressed in a timely manner. This is another undeniable fact. The Minister further said, “I rather suspect that Mr. Figueira is grieved and that he wants to use the PAC to gloss over that period of wasteful illegal spending by the APNU+AFC Government, pretending that it never happened, but I assure you, it did and the evidence is there.”

Mr. Editor, this most absurd statement cannot be substantiated with any shred of evidence. As a matter of fact, the PAC meetings are aired live for all of Guyana and by extension, the world to see. This new addition (live streaming) to the PAC came into effect under my Chairmanship of which I am proud.
More media outlets, especially those with limited staff, no longer have to be physically present to be present for those meetings. The viewership is increasing and more of Guyana is becoming aware of the work of the PAC. No one has ever made the claim that I as chairman of the committee is “glossing” over any period, as the man of the cloth so alleged. As a matter of fact, some observers are of the view that I’m too accommodating of some members unbecoming attitudes inclusive of the goodly bishop.
Mr. Editor, permit me to make it abundantly clear, that I hold no prejudice nor grudge for any minister, permanent secretary, regional executive officer, or any other accounting officer that comes before the PAC, past or present.  I am not responsible for their actions and if the evidence implies, suggest, or prove that they were involved in any illegal conduct, the PAC will deal with those individuals accordingly, with respect to the laws of Guyana. I will never defend wrongdoings, or any illegal acts of accounting officers entrusted with the people’s resources.

The Minister assumed Fact #2…in his letter said Mr. Figueira would be happy to conduct a PAC in the absence of the PPP/C, but we saw that coming, that’s why we changed the quorum to ensure that we have proper accountability. This ‘See-far’ political bishop apparently has more than God-like abilities, he knows what would make me happy and can see into the future hence the change of the standing orders for a PAC quorum. Wow! Absolute utter foolishness from a minister of government. But this is not surprising, what would make me happy is to have an effective working PAC executing the committee’s mandate for the people of Guyana and the evidence is clear with every cancelled PAC meeting why the quorum was changed.  Mr. Editor, Mr. Edghill in  his last paragraph styled (fact 4) said the PPPC is eager to expose findings in the AG’s report  on the APNU/AFC’s time in office, but it is the same Bishop and his party that refuse to have the PAC meet twice per week to give effect to their eagerness.

Further Mr. Editor, the political Bishop has confirmed what we always knew when he states in his so called (fact 3) that the PAC CHAIRMAN should consult with Minister Teixeira before he calls a meeting. The said Minister who said she feels that the presence of ministers on the Public Accounts Committee goes against the grain of the constitution and the Standing Orders, and she recognises that the PAC’s work involves the oversight and accountability of government expenditure in 2016. Madam Teixeira said the presence of ministers on the PAC is what they are totally opposed to, as it does create conflict of interest and it can compromise the ministers themselves and even the PAC. This man has some nerve!
He is proposing that the meeting of the PAC must now only be held if consent is gotten from the PPP’s prefect Minister. What the minister is effectively saying is, if Minister Gail Teixeira is available and has the time, we should have PAC. When the PPP’s prefect of the PAC is not available, no other member avails themselves so that the meeting could not have a quorum.

That is what I as Chairman will strongly resist “honourable” Bishop.

The agreed historically accepted day for statutory meeting of the Public Accounts Committee has always been Mondays. The former PPP chairman of the PAC who is now the President of Guyana, should educate his quick to speak in defense, the PPP non-member, that this is an age old accepted position since PAC was introduced to Guyana’s Parliament.  But in the instance, if he wants it to be changed, let him give the country a day, because no day of the week now seems good for the PPP. Mr. Editor, the entire country and the world is aware of Mondays as the day for PAC meetings, hence there is no reason when Statutory meetings of the PCA are to be held, the Chairman must get concurrence from the  PPP lead minister who said ministers should not be on the committee.  Mr. Editor, given the track record of the PPPC for meetings of the PAC and more so since  the rules of the quorum changed, when will the 2019 and 2020 reports be examined?
This is the added transparency, accountability, and eagerness the PPP has brought with changing the quorum rules – less meetings of the PAC, more excuses and political shenanigans. Mr. Editor, the longer we take to complete the examination of the prior year reports, the lesser the help we may have from the former accounting officers. Mr. Editor, the PPP refuses to agree to multiyear examination of AG reports despite knowing fully well, this was done before in the 10th and 11th Parliaments. In fact, it was agreed to at the request of Mr. Ali  when he was chairman of the PAC. It is reasonable to conclude that the issue is political, the PPP don’t want their current ills exposed.  Ministers Teixeira and Persaud said in Parliament in 2016, that Ministers must not sit on PAC and sectoral Committees, but today, they are both on those Committees and are now making excuses to attend meetings. Obscuring or distorting facts cannot make a lie anything other than the lie it is.
Truth needs no justification.

Yours respectfully,
Jermaine Figueira MP
Public Accounts Committee
Chairman

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