THERE is growing clamour for public officials, elected and appointed, to be mindful of what they say, how they interact with others, and how they conduct the people’s business.  Advancement of media technology not only allows opportunities in real time to follow what someone says or does, but also aid in projecting an image or hurting the best intent.  In this Information Age perception, fortune, careers and reputations can rise or fall easily, and it helps to be mindful of the potential impact.  With specific reference to the 2015 Auditor-General’s Report, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan has advised the society that Auditor-General Deodat Sharma had submitted same without regard for what he considered established customs and practices, and on the part of the media its reportage being so affected. The  report prepared by the Audit Office is a vital and important piece of work in governance, given that it pays attention to the management of the State’s finances, and can help officials to improve on their performance.

The Finance Minister as political head of the ministry from which the nation’s finances flow, carries the responsibility to oversee implementation of the state’s programmes which are developed through government’s policies, and are expected to be executed within the confines of the law. The media has an important role to play in society. Outside of mediating between makers and senders of the news, it also carries a civic responsibility to ensure accuracy in reporting and giving all sides a chance to be heard.  It is therefore important for all to get it right.

Sharma in presenting the report to Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, had made known concerns about continued abuse of the Contingency Fund. On the minister’s part, he attended to his recall on departure from precedence, customs and practices, reporting relationships, the period the APNU+AFC had been in office, and their management of the Fund vis-a-vis previous administrations.

In a previous editorial, “The Auditor General’s Report”  (3rd October) it was noted that this administration came to office in May 2015 and given the expected learning curve, there would be some teething problems, though it is expected that efforts would be made to operate within the law and honour campaign commitments. It was therefore heartening to hear Minister Jordan reiterate the commitment to transparency and accountability and taking no offence to the Audit Office holding the administration to such standard.

It should be said that where customs and practices are in conflict with the law, the law supersedes. Constitutional amendments in 2001 made the Audit Office independent of the Executive and established a reporting relationship with the National Assembly.

The issue of the amount of money used from the Contingency Fund by previous governments, though important for comparative analysis, of equal importance is that of accounting for the management of the budgetary allocations within the confines of the laws. In the abuses of the Fund by the PPP/C, irrespective of amount, it would be to the nation’s benefit when incumbent and future administration avoid similar malpractices.

The nation has not forgotten then shadow minister of finance Carl Greenidge’s relentless pursuit to have the PPP/C administration conform to the law, including placing into the Consolidated Fund revenues garnered from a number of agencies such as the Guyana Lottery Company, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and NICIL. Where these continued not to happen the society did not expect this. It was expected that these would have been corrected as a matter of priority and law on the APNU+AFC’s ascension to office and such expectation is reasonable

Outside of Guyanese needing to have confidence in their Government and the system of governance, Guyana’s failure to conform to international best practices has consequences in our ratings by reputable international institutions and countries that want to do business with us. With an eye to these, it remains important that we seek to do the right thing, relational and operational.