Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Opposition’s concerns over Govt. absence from PAC meetings lack merit – Teixeira
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira
Kaieteur News – In the ongoing saga surrounding the absence of government members from Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) meetings, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, has issued a response to accusations leveled against her and her colleagues.
In a statement addressing concerns raised by PAC Chairman Jermaine Figueira, Teixeira highlighted what she sees as a lack of merit in the Opposition’s claims. She criticised even some media outlets for perpetuating these accusations without verifying their validity.
Teixeira pointed out that the functioning of the PAC in the 12th Parliament has not been diminished compared to previous terms, despite quorum issues. She cited data from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance’s “2023 in Review” press conference, which she claims was ignored by critics.
According to Teixeira, the PAC in the 12th Parliament has had 61 meetings over 30 months, surpassing the number of meetings held during the 10th and 11th Parliaments. She emphasised that the focus of these meetings has been on reviewing government agencies’ activities during the previous administration, particularly concerning alleged violations of procurement regulations.
Teixeira accused the Opposition members of attempting to rush through these reviews to divert attention from past shortcomings. She urged the media to prioritise reporting on the substantive issues uncovered by the PAC, such as mismanagement of public funds and denial of services to vulnerable communities.
Responding to concerns about government ministers sitting on the PAC, Teixeira dismissed these. She argued that such participation is essential for providing a comprehensive analysis of public expenditure and ensuring accountability.
She said, “The Opposition members in the PAC may want the public to forget these harsh realities that directly hurt the people of Guyana, and instead occupy the public’s attention with vacuous questions of whether the Government members and Ministers should sit on the PAC, or whether the members are attending the PAC meetings, and if the committee is meeting enough times. These are mere distractions from the real issues being uncovered by the PAC.”
The minister said too, “…the insinuations made by the APNU/AFC that Ministers of Government should not sit on the PAC is hypocritical and preposterous as during the APNU+AFC’s tenure in Government during the 11th parliament, two of their members on the PAC were sitting Ministers of Government. Those were Mrs. Volda Lawrence and Mrs. Valerie Patterson.”
Teixeira vehemently denied any intention of resigning from the PAC, asserting her commitment to thorough reviews of government spending from 2015 onwards. She criticised what she perceives as Opposition members’ efforts to conceal alleged corruption during the previous administration.
She reaffirmed the government members’ dedication to fulfilling their duties on the PAC and vowed to continue scrutinising public expenditure for the benefit of all Guyanese citizens.
- Gail Teixeira, meetings, merit, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC)
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