Datadin blames scheduling conflicts for delays in PAC meetings

Jul 08, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – People’s Progressive Party Member of Parliament, Sanjeev Datadin has defended the repeated delays of sittings of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), stating that the committee’s work cannot resume “instantly” because members have pre-existing commitments and conflicting schedules.

His comments come amid growing accusations from the intensifying pressure from the opposition which has accused the government of weaponising parliamentary quorum rules to deliberately stall the oversight body.

“…It will be sorted, but speaking for myself it can’t be instant,” Datadin stated in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Datadin defended the delays by pointing to the rigid, pre-existing commitments of the committee’s members, arguing that regularising the meeting times requires a balancing of complex schedules.

“Know this: Parliamentary committees depend on the availability of its members,” Datadin explained. “In the real world, it will take some time for everyone to get their schedules cleared to meet regularly. Every member has responsibilities and schedules which are fixed in advance.”

Similar explanations have been flatly rejected by the opposition. APNU Member of Parliament Juretha Fernandes countered that the persistent lack of a quorum is not a matter of scheduling conflicts, but rather a deliberate strategy to shield state expenditure from public scrutiny. Under the current standing orders, the PAC requires a five-member quorum to convene, two members from the government, two from the opposition, and the chairperson. Because of this multi-party requirement, the absence of government members effectively shuts down any scheduled meeting.

“The effect is clear,” Fernandes stated as reported by Kaieteur News on 4^th July, 2026. “By refusing or not attending PAC meetings, government members can now prevent the committee from meeting. This gives the very government whose spending must be scrutinised an effective veto over when, whether, and how quickly that examination takes place.”

According to Fernandes, the consequences of these cancellations are severe, leaving public spending for the years 2020 through 2024 entirely unexamined by the legislative body. “This is not accountability,” Fernandes lamented. “This is obstruction and the facilitation of incompetence, the waste of taxpayers’ money, and corruption.” The controversy dates back to April 13, 2022, when the National Assembly amended the quorum requirements. Previously, a quorum could be formed by any three committee members, regardless of party affiliation. The APNU/AFC opposition fiercely opposed the amendment at the time, warning it would grant the government a functional veto over the committee’s work. “Today we are reaping the negative consequences of that silence on the change in the requirements for a quorum of the PAC, the lack of transparency and accountability and the wanton waste of taxpayers’ money through corruption and incompetence,” Fernandes said.

Citing Article 223 of the Constitution, which guarantees the independence of the Auditor General and mandates the scrutiny of public accounts, Fernandes emphasised that the PAC is one of parliament’s most vital democratic institutions to safeguard public funds, rather than a ceremonial body. In response to the gridlock, the APNU coalition has called for immediate parliamentary reform, demanding the consistent convening of sittings, full attendance by government members, a fast-tracked plan to clear the backlog of auditor general’s reports, and an urgent overhaul of the quorum rules to eliminate paralysis through absenteeism. The opposition has also urged civil society organisations, trade unions, faith leaders, and professional bodies to recognise the situation as a serious attack on parliamentary oversight and to join calls for stronger accountability.

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PPP, Public Accounts Committee, Sanjeev Datadin

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