Govt. stalling PAC to avoid scrutiny – Mahipaul

Feb 22, 2025 News

Kaieteur News- Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Ganesh Mahipaul on Friday said that there are deliberate efforts by the government to hinder the work of the Committee.

Govt. stalling PAC to avoid scrutiny – Mahipaul

Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Ganesh Mahipaul

Mahipaul, speaking at the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) press conference on Friday said the Committee has been unable to scrutinize the accounts of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration due to systematic stalling.

The MP said that Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira piloted a motion to change the quorum requirement for PAC meetings. “Is that accountability?” he questioned.

The opposition MP underscored that the last time the PAC met was in October 2024. This, he said, shows the government’s reluctance to allow parliamentary scrutiny of state spending.

“The last time the PAC met was in October last year. Is that the accountability you speak of, [Minister] Gail?” he asked.

Mahipaul’s statements come against the backdrop of Minister Teixeira’s response to the 2024 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) published by Transparency International.

In a February 14, 2025 statement, Minister Teixeira, clarified that while corruption remains a concern in Guyana, she argued that the CPI is not an accurate measure of corruption. The minister had said, “At no time herein is there an insinuation that corruption is not a problem; rather, the objection is that non-empirical, non-scientific data cannot be the standard by which such a serious issue is measured by Transparency International or any other organization.”

The report ranked Guyana 92 out of 180 nations, with a score of 39— a decline from the previous year. Transparency International attributed Guyana’s corruption challenges to “state capture by economic and political elites”, misappropriation of resources, illicit enrichment, and weak law enforcement.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira

At the press conference, Mahipaul calls out Teixeira’s defence of government amidst the findings by Transparency International. He said that the Minister response to the Transparency International report, rings hollow in the face of mounting evidence of corruption.

“Gail Teixeira should stop trying to defend the indefensible and focus on addressing the blatant truth that is evident to all. The PPP/C is a corrupt regime that has failed to take any meaningful action to address systemic corruption and the blatant theft of the people’s money,” he stated.

(Govt. stalling PAC to avoid scrutiny – Mahipaul)

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accountability, Gail Teixeira, Ganesh Mahipaul, Opposition Member

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