$10B spent by former gov’t approved
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan

THE House yesterday approved close to $10B in supplementary funds that were spent under the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Administration but had been rejected by the then combined Opposition. The APNU and AFC, which now form the government, had at that time commanded a majority in the National Assembly.The sum was covered in two supplementary papers tabled by Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who was grilled by members of both sides of the House.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Approved yesterday were Supplementary Appropriation Bill, Bill Number 1 of 2015, for the sum of $3.2B; and Supplementary Appropriation Bill, Bill Number 2 of 2015, for the amount of $6.5B. The sums were expended during the period December 31, 2012; December 31, 2013; and December 31, 2014.

The monies requested in both supplementary papers covered current and capital expenditures for the Office of the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Public Service Ministry, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, and several other ministries and government agencies.

Notably, in the consideration of the estimates, Minister Jordan was unable to provide answers for nearly all the questions that were asked of him, but he promised to provide a response by the next sitting.

Notwithstanding, the situation made Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo uneasy. “When a supplementary paper is presented here, the ministers responsible would need to answer those questions based on advice from their technical staff. Now, the government side can choose not to, can choose today to withhold its support for the supplementary papers; that is perfectly within their right, but to claim that they are not aware, in my view…it lacks preparation for Parliament, Mr Speaker,” he said.

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, however, pointed out that the spendings were done a long time ago, and some of the questions by the PPP would be better answered by their colleagues, as they were the ones who had spent the monies the government is seeking to approve.

He explained that the government bringing the papers to the House is merely to provide basic accountability for the monies having being spent, as required by the Constitution of Guyana. “The confusionists would want to give the impression that we are incompetent. We are only laying the record straight…on monies spent by them (the Opposition, who were in Government at the time).

Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, earlier said the situation with the papers is not normal but is extraordinary, as the government is asking to approve spending of the previous government. “In fact, all of the answers reside in that side (opposition) of the House,” he also contended amid bickering in the House.

 

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