Today the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) who are on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have failed to show up for a meeting. The PAC is responsible for overseeing Government’s spending, holding public officials accountable, and making recommendations to improve systems.
The Chair of the Committee is a member of the Opposition. The failure of the Government MPs to avail themselves this morning is stymying the work of the Committee and accountability for the nation’s spending.
The A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has expressed disappointment in Government’s absence, and sees the non-attendance as “total disrespect for accountability and transparency.”
The Opposition’s statement follows: –
The Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly of Guyana continues to suffer from meetings to examine the spending of public funds by the Government due to the continued absence of the PPP/C members of the committee.
Today, Monday, 12th December, 2022 marks the third consecutive Monday of no meeting of the PAC since the resumption from recess of the National Assembly due to the absence of a quorum and the 6th Monday of no PAC since the passage of a motion to change the composition of a quorum for the PAC.
Amidst widespread allegations of massive corruption at the Ministries of Public Works, Agriculture, Home Affairs, Culture, Youth and Sports, Health, Education, Natural Resources, Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Foreign Affairs, Housing and Water, Finance, Human Services and Social Security and at Regions 1 to 10, the country and people of Guyana are left with no answer, no accountability and no transparency with this PPP/C Government.
The absence of the PPP/C Government members is a clear show of their total disrespect for accountability and transparency. The PPP/C’s continued absence from the PAC is clear evidence of the breaking down of the guardrails of our democracy.
The APNU+AFC will continue to fight for the people of Guyana and will formally notify the diplomatic community and parliamentary organisations of this development. It is clear that for Guyana to grow the PPP/C must go.
