GENERAL-SECRETARY of the People’s Progressive Party, Mr. Clement Rohee, has challenged the combined Opposition (APNU/AFC) to take to court their concerns regarding the restoration of monies cut from the Budget.

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh tabled in the National Assembly, last month, a Statement of Excess on the current and capital estimates in a $4.6B Financial Paper, the first such document for 2014 that effectively restores monies disapproved in the Budget by the combined Opposition.

Rohee said, “The APNU and AFC are of the view that the legal ruling of the Chief Justice and the High Court was wrong…. The ideal situation would be to have the courts and the Parliament as one on this matter. So while we have fought this matter out of courts and won, we continue to fight this matter in the National Assembly. We are not giving up our fight!”

APNU MP, Carl Greenidge moved a motion last week to have the Finance Minister brought before a Parliamentary Privileges Committee for what is being called unconstitutional spending.

“They are diverting the course around, and still they refuse to take their concerns to the court,” Rohee declared in relation to this development.

LEGAL SPENDING
According to him, the relevant documentation has been tabled in the National Assembly, which makes clear that the spending authorised by the Finance Minister was done in line with the laws of Guyana.

“We fight on all fronts: the political, the parliamentary, and the judicial, and so on –irrespective of whether the cuts have been restored and a relevant document been laid in Parliament,” he said.

Section 218 (3) of the Guyana Constitution states: “If, in respect of any financial year, it is found: (a) that the amount appropriated by the Appropriation Act for any purpose is insufficient, or that a need has arisen for expenditure for a purpose for which no amount has been appropriated by that Act;
“Or (b) that any moneys have been expended for any purpose in excess of the amount appropriated for that purpose by the Appropriation Act, or for a purpose for which no amount has been appropriated by that Act, a supplementary estimate, or, as the case may be, a statement of excess showing the sums required or spent, shall be laid before the Assembly by the Prime Minister or any other Minister designated by the President.”

Rohee made it clear that the ruling party will continue to maintain its position.

The financial paper is a first in a series of papers expected to be brought before the House in a move to restore critically important funds which have been cut from the $220B Budget for 2014. Included in the $4.6B Paper is the full return of $6.1B to the Office of the President. The allocation for current expenditures also includes monies for the Government Information Agency (GINA) and the National Communications Network (NCN).

The sum of $450M has also been returned to the President’s Office for capital expenditures under the category of Administrative Services.

A portion of the capital expenditures under the Ministry of Finance’s policy and administration has also been returned, and it includes $424M for the Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) programmes; $225M for the University of Guyana’s student loan funds; and $67M for the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The Amerindian Development Fund’s $303M allocation has been returned to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, as has the $359.8M for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project.

Minister Singh’s move was premised on his reliance on the constitutional grounds and rulings of the Court to initiate, as of today, an exercise to restore funds from the 2014 National Budget that were voted down by the combined Opposition in the National Assembly.

(By Vanessa Narine)