Govt. MPs blank PAC meeting again

Jun 06, 2023 News

– Opposition members call on them to resign

Kaieteur News – With the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) suffering yet another cancellation owing to the absence of members of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), opposition members are calling for the government members on the committee to tender their resignations.

Chair of the PAC, Jermaine Figueira

Opposition MP Ganesh Mahipaul

Outlining his concerns, Chairman of the PAC and MP of the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), Jermaine Figueira called for the Government’s Chief Whip, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira, and the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill to resign from the PAC for being absent consistently. Figueira noted that this is the ninth meeting of the PAC that had to be cancelled due to the absence of government representatives.

The Chair expressed disgust that all of the government members of the committee failed to show up for Monday’s PAC. “While they have responsibilities in their respective portfolios as minister, they can put some other person you believe is competent. Are we to believe that the PPP MPs are incompetent to the point that no one else could replace the other ministers, who are here and are supposedly always busy? The work of the Public Accounts Committee is very important to this nation, and we believe it adds to good governance, transparency and accountability,” Figueira said.

The Chairman noted that the PPP/C representatives continue to make excuses when it comes to the work of the PAC and is totally unacceptable.

Opposition PAC member Ganesh Mahipaul expressed similar sentiments. “The entire opposition showed up for today’ [Monday] PAC only to be told that the Government side is unavailable. So we are again back to square one where the Government side of the National Assemble continues their disrespect for the guardrails of our democracy and act as an uncaring regime with no respect for the accountability and transparency principles and institutions,” Mahipaul said.

He noted that democracy is a system of governance in which power is held by the people, either directly or through elected representatives. He stressed that “In a democratic society, the government is expected to act in the best interests of the people and to uphold the rule of law. The people have the right to hold their representatives accountable through free and fair elections, the media, and other democratic institutions. “Accountability and transparency are essential principles of democracy, and they help to ensure that those in power are held responsible for their actions and decisions.”

Mahipaul said therefore it is important for citizens to speak out and speak up if they feel that their government is not acting in their best interests or is not upholding democratic principles. “Ultimately, it is up to the citizens to hold their government accountable and to ensure that democratic principles are upheld,” he said.

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