These people were running big time ‘cow’ with our money

I HAVE been following media reports on the hearings held by the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and my blood boils at what is being revealed.
Government’s business is the people’s business and those entrusted the responsibility, having been given this privilege by the people, are duty bound to conduct the people’s business in a proper manner.
Irfaan Ali and Juan Edghill, ministers during the PPP/C government when the shenanigans were going on, have the distinction now of over-sighting management of the people’s business from the outside, after putting in place a corrupt machinery to facilitate the siphoning off of our money.

Money that belongs to the State, and by extension the people, by law is supposed to be passed through and accounted for in the Consolidated Fund. This every law-abiding government would be mindful of and would want to ensure. As Chairman of the PAC, Ali,
supported by Edghill given the PAC’s oversight responsibility are discharging their duties.
Outside of the correctness in seeking accountability, the moral rectitude being displayed by the two who were part of the group that put in place the cow-running system, to the unsuspecting they come across as serious guardians of the people’s money and not as villains, a title more befitting the corrupt rampage the society witnessed under their leadership.
Let me make it very clear, I applaud the level of scrutiny and show of intolerance these two are demonstrating as elected representatives.
At the same time, it cannot be ignored what they are rightly condemning they should have never put in place in the first instance.

And this is a problem society must move to eradicate.
Double standards, and show of indignation when the shoe is on the other foot, must be
met with rejection by us.
Society must recall, in this instance, when the PPP/C government was engaging in financial improprieties and these acts, during the PAC chairmanship of Carl Greenidge, were brought to their attention, they sought to justify their misconduct rather than seek to put systems in
place to correct. The 2015 Auditor General’s Report before the PAC that has seen departmental heads appearing to answer represents a fiscal year shared by the PPP/C and
APNU+AFC administrations.
The structures and operatives in managing the state’s accounts in that year were put
in place by the PPP/C.

For several years, the Auditor General’s Reports has been highlighting the intransigence existing in the management of the people’s money, including the several bank accounts scattered all over the place, opened at the whims of some high official, who thinks the people’s money is theirs to do as they please. This was primarily done to escape accountability and facilitate shenanigans.
Ensuring money is accounted for through the Consolidated Fund requires parliamentary oversight and approval and this is what it ought to be in our system of government, where Parliament is the nation’s highest decision-making forum.
Alfred King, former Permanent Secretary in the Department of Youth and Culture, was rought before the PAC last week.
It was learnt during this hearing that $106 million from this department was in a separate bank account and not the Consolidated Fund where it belongs. What struck me is the appropriate advice given by Ali that this money should be deposited in the Fund, but when such advice was given to his government they refused to comply, leaving us with the scenario we see today.

They say thief man doesn’t like see he mattie thief man with bag.
King as a public servant could not have facilitated the opening of an account without approval from the political directorates. There was another PAC show of intolerance on the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation that saw Allan Johnson (CEO) being the fall guy
for his predecessor’s stewardship, which the PPP/C knew of and ignored. The APNU+AFC failed to bring integrity to this hearing by ensuring the era was put in proper context, and where necessary, require the appearance of the individual.
Note is taken of the APNU+ AFC Members indignation of the state of affairs.
This indignation is well placed but requires more than seeking to outdo the PPP/C who is seeking to divert attention from their culpability.
Indignation would be well served when systems have been put in place to rectify the anomalies and the nation will not see a repeat in the 2016 Auditor General’s Report.
My concern as a citizen and taxpayer is the absence of due diligence and seriousness given to the management of the people’s business, including bringing culprits before the court.
I would have liked to hear also from the government representatives questions being asked of those appearing before the PAC what support systems and technical advice they need
to halt the cow-running. It is not good enough to castigate, systems must be put in place
to halt malpractices and avoid recurrence.

Corruption was one of the PPP/C’s greatest vile, but when the APNU+AFC doesn’t engage in the requisite acts and actions to stamp it out, what the nation would witness is continuity
of a malpractice that has done un-quantifiable harm to our development. The PPP/C
has been a master at justifying the shenanigans. The APNU+AFC cannot escape responsibility for the integrity of our financial system from 2016.
These corrupt practices must be purged from the system and the public servants cannot take blame for acts that the politicians would have initiated, their successors continue, or turn a blind eye to.
To the public servants, I urge the developing of testicular fortitude to resist the political
operatives instructing you to conduct the nation’s business outside of the legal established standard practices, rules and norms. Public servants appointed by the Public Service Commission are urged to stand up and remember any injustice committed against you there is recourse to the Public Service Appellate Tribunal which is now established.

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