Opposition motion prevails for detailed NICIL report
THE combined Opposition in the National Assembly, on Wednesday, again, used its one seat majority to pass a motion calling on the Government to present a detailed report on the sales by National Commercial and Industrial Investments Limited (NICIL). In the name of Shadow Finance Minister and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP), Carl Greenidge, the resolution approved a special audit and investigation into the selling and disposal of State assets over the past 10 years.
It also required Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh to lay, before the House, a report on all the extra-budgetary agencies, including from the Lotto and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), all the outstanding and quarterly audited accounts as stipulated by law.
Another aspect requested that the relevant ministers ensure all agencies authorised to have extra-budgetary funds under the Act and with outstanding reports as at February 14, 2012, be, immediately, made to pay, into the Consolidated Fund, all balances held in their accounts and a statement of such payments be submitted to the National Assembly on or before June 30, 2012.
Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Bishop Juan Edghill had argued that the Consolidated Fund is not the sum of the public funds. Instead, it is only a sub-set and Greenidge was seeking to amend an Act and it cannot be done.
“There is nothing illegal in having public monies outside of the Consolidated Funds,” Edghill insisted, adding that budgetary agencies function within a particular framework and are not outside the scope of examination by the Auditor General.
Edghill warned that the passage of the edict would cause an operational nightmare because affected agencies would have to wait on the passing of an Appropriation Bill before they could spend.
Commendable philosophy
Attorney General Anil Nandlall said that the motion, while predicated on a commendable philosophy, violated the Constitution and several sections of the Fiscal Management Accountability Act (FMAA).
He said that similar agencies are common features throughout the Caribbean and advised the Opposition to use common care in using their majority to vote, adding that there was no need for the motion.
Alliance for Change (AFC) MP Khemraj Ramjattan maintained that the Administration is breaching the Constitution and the (FMAA) and emphasised that the legislation is supreme when it comes to the public purse.
Summing up the Government’s arguments, Minister Singh said the motion contained sufficient grounds on which it should be rejected by the House.
He submitted that the motion was not only flawed in principle but was not grounded in any facts or on reality.
“The Honourable Members on that side of the House, in supporting the motion, disregarded the spurious basis upon which the motion is formulated,” Singh insisted.
He said it was premised on selective and biased pieces of information “poorly” hauled together from outdated and non-existent international reports.
Singh said he believed Greenidge was attempting to deceive Parliament and, by extension, the people of Guyana by bringing, to Parliament, what could be considered his effort to score points in the leadership race within the People’s National Congress (PNC).
Wrong entity
The minister reiterated his position on the independence and transparency within NICIL and was adamant that the Opposition is looking for corruption within the wrong entity.
He made reference to the fact that the Opposition was asking for information which they already had and which could easily be accessible in the public galleries and the documents that NICIL has made available to Parliament.
Greenidge rejected many of the arguments, dismissing them as a figment of the Government’s imagination.
The MP said Government was being “dramatic” and “worked up” about nothing, while trying to attempt to divert attention from the real things that have been going on within NICIL.
Greenidge’s allegation of corruption within the Government and persons associated with NICIL was also met with strong objection by Government Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira and Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.
This led to a raucous scene in the House and prompted Speaker Raphael Trotman to vacate his chair and telling the parliamentarians they should let him know when they are ready for a serious debate.
He, subsequently, returned to adjourn the session.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who rose to defend the Government side, raised objection to what he dubbed the Opposition attempt to use the Parliament to make “spurious allegations.”
He said some of the things that Greenidge spoke about were misleading.
However, after hours of exchanges between the two sides of the House, Hinds called for a division and the vote went 33 to 28 in favour of the Opposition.