Pres. Ali, Opposition differ on parliamentary oversight

Sep 03, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – In his address at the opening of the 46th Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas, and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association on Monday, President Irfaan Ali highlighted the importance of parliamentary oversight and the role of the opposition in maintaining a healthy democracy.

The head-of-state outlined Guyana’s constitutional mechanisms designed to ensure the opposition’s involvement in oversight bodies within the National Assembly, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and other sectoral committees that incorporate contributions across the political aisle.

“In Guyana, we have crafted mechanisms within our constitution to ensure a greater role for the parliamentary opposition. Within the National Assembly, there are a number of oversight bodies in the opposition… within the National Assembly, within the National Assembly, there are a number of oversight bodies in which the opposition is represented,” Ali said.

He added, “the Public Accounts Committee is chaired by the opposition. We utilise the mechanism of select committees to achieve greater consensus on legislation. We have sectoral committees that allow for contribution from across the political aisle and we continue to incorporate in our legislation representation of the opposition and civil society on statutory bodies.”

The President asserted that parliaments must act as guardians of citizens’ rights; ensuring laws are enforced in ways that uphold dignity, freedom, and the rule of law. He stressed the need for strong, independent institutions to maintain accountability and transparency, underscoring that parliamentary democracy, though adversarial, should not exclude the opposition from playing a meaningful role.

However, President Ali’s emphasis on parliamentary oversight comes against the backdrop of growing criticisms from the opposition regarding the government’s commitment to this very principle.

Govt.’s absence from PAC Meetings

Back in April, it was reported that the constant absence of government members at the duly constituted meeting of the PAC was crippling the work of the oversight committee with regard to scrutinising public spending.

Chairman of the PAC, Jermaine Figueira in a media release pointed out following the cancellation of a statutory meeting that it had become more and more pellucid of the government’s chronic and deliberate plot to stymie the work of this very important committee of the National Assembly. Primarily, he noted then that the government members who sit on this committee are deliberately absenting themselves. According to Figueira, the government’s consistent no-show is imperiling one of the guard rails of democracy; and handicapping the committee’s capacity to function as a robust oversight mechanism. “Without effective oversight, we risk witnessing further fiscal mismanagement, reckless squandering of public resources, and a crisis of trust in the government’s financial stewardship,” Figueira said.

He explained further that the PAC stands as a bastion of transparency, accountability, and provides responsible oversight for the allocation of public funds.  The PAC Chair reminded that this disheartening trend of absenteeism by government members began when the ruling party altered the standing order, mandating the presence of two government members for a quorum.

“This changed,” the PAC Chair noted “slowed down and stymied the committees work with more than 40 cancelations of the committee meetings since this unnecessary and unwarranted change was made,” Figueira explained that the PAC continues to grapple with an alarming backlog of work, particularly in its present examination of the financial records for the year 2019, rendering it years behind in its essential work and we are in 2024, five years lagging behind.

He emphasised that “It is important to note, that a fully functioning PAC is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy, providing a vital counterbalance to unchecked government actions and to ensure that accounting officers discharge their duties and responsibilities in accordance with the law and show respect in service to the people they serve.”

It is in this regard, that the PAC Chair iterated a call for the government to prioritize the prompt resumption of regular PAC meetings, and replace the “hard working” ministers of government with two other competent members, so as to ensure the committee can really begin to address the backlog of work in a meaningful way, diligently executing the pivotal oversight duties for the people of Guyana.

In response, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, had  argued that these concerns lacked merit and were distractions from more substantive issues. Teixeira pointed out that the PAC in the 12th Parliament had convened more meetings than in previous terms, despite challenges in maintaining a quorum. She accused the opposition of attempting to divert attention from critical reviews of the previous administration’s handling of public funds.

Additionally, the opposition had further questioned the government’s commitment to parliamentary oversight following the April 2022 amendment of the PAC’s quorum rules. The ruling PPP/C used its majority to pass a motion requiring a quorum that included government representation, a change the opposition argued would stymie the committee’s work. The opposition expressed concerns that the government could now easily stall PAC meetings by not attending, thereby preventing the review of certain expenditures. Despite these criticisms, Teixeira defended the amendment, claiming it would ensure balanced participation and enhance the committee’s impartiality.

Non-attendance at sectoral meeting 

Adding to the concerns of parliamentary oversight in April also, key stakeholders such as ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) repeatedly failed to attend Natural Resources Parliamentary Sectoral meetings. The absence of these entities, along with that of Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat, fueled opposition claims that the government was deliberately avoiding scrutiny.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) argued that this lack of accountability undermined the transparency the PPP-government claimed to champion. While President Ali advocates for strong parliamentary oversight with active opposition involvement, these recent developments highlight a disconnect between his rhetoric and the practical challenges faced within Guyana’s parliamentary committees. The government’s actions have led to increasing frustrations from the opposition, who continue to argue that the administration is impeding the very oversight it professes to support.

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• Democracy, grapple, Minister of Natural Resources, President Irfaan Ali, Vickram Bharrat

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