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Proposals had been made by both the AFC and APNU to cut the estimates of these two entities. While Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan, in his motion to amend the estimates, had proposed that they be reduced to nil ($0), APNU’s Carl Greenidge had proposed that they instead be reduced to $1 each. However, after Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman inquired, Ramjattan opted to forfeit his proposal and go along with Greenidge’s proposal.
Several questions were posed by opposition members regarding the operations and functioning of NCN, and the government side attempted — albeit in vain– to defend the allocations.
According to Greenidge, the Opposition has had discussions on the quality and coverage of NCN, and had sought to engage the government in an exercise intended to extract a commitment to survey the work and commission an audit to look at the social and community coverage. He claimed this has not happened, nor is there any commitment on the Government’s part to make this happen.
However, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said he could recall just recently seeing Greenidge on NCN making his presentations. He indicated that this is a good indication that government is taking notice to what is being said by the Opposition.
Government’s Chief Whip Gail Teixeira noted that the audit was raised by the Leader of the Opposition in talks with President Donald Ramotar on Monday and Wednesday, but those talks were inconclusive, and agreement had been reached to “not continue speaking, but be open to continue speaking”. She said, therefore, that there had been no proper dialogue on the issue.
Specific questions were asked about coverage of opposition matters on NCN, and Junior Finance Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill, pointed out that management of NCN has deliberately moved to allot more time and space and to be even more proactive and inviting to Opposition members.
APNU’s Chris Jones was concerned with NCN’s staff complement from April last year to what presently obtains, and Edghill related that, in 2012, the network had a total of 179 employees, and that figure remains the same to date.
Enquiries were also made regarding a case of fraud at NCN, and an investigation that was mounted into the matter. AFC’s Moses Nagamootoo asked whether the report had been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice, or to the Commissioner of Police for action; but Edghill said that he would not be able to affirm whether the report had been sent to the DPP or the Commissioner of Police, but he knows that the report had been sent to the President for his review.
Nagamootoo further highlighted that, last year, by way of majority vote, the National Assembly did not approve the estimates for NCN and GINA, but the revised estimates had shown that the monies had been reallocated and spent. Attorney General Anil Nandlall advised that a ruling by the Chief Justice had indicated that the National Assembly had neither the power to reduce estimates nor to determine the quantum of those estimates.
He said the court had found that the majority in the National Assembly infracted the doctrine of separation of powers and the constitution itself. According to Nandlall, it was this ruling that allowed the government to take money from the Consolidated Fund and replenish the agencies.
Government’s Chief Whip, Teixeira, pointed out that while questions were asked extensively and answers provided for matters relating to NCN, no queries had been made for GINA, but the estimates for that entity had still been reduced.
Sums of $135.858M and $81.337M were initially allocated for GINA and NCN respectively under the 2013 budget. While those sums, which were for current expenditures, were reduced to a mere $1 each, the entities were nevertheless allocated monies for capital expenses.
No objection was made for the $13M allocated for GINA to purchase vehicles and equipment, and the $65M for NCN to purchase media production and other equipment was also passed.
