AMID a sometimes acrimonious atmosphere, the National Assembly on Thursday evening approved some $6.8B representing the 2017 budget estimates for the 16 constitutional agencies in Guyana.At the level of the Committee of Supply, the Opposition – People’s Progressive Party (PPP) made several attempts to secure clarifications from Minister of Finance Winston Jordan about reductions in the proposals made by the various agencies, but these were met with resistance as the Finance Minister insisted that the adjustments were premised on the “fiscal space” available.

In recommending approximately $1.5B for the Parliament Office, Minister Jordan explained that the recommended allocation was made in the context of the existing fiscal space and consideration of the agency’s request within national development priorities.
“My recommendation is based on our fiscal profile which we have been able to develop for 2017, and our assumptions that we were making for revenues, expenditure, and borrowing,”the minister further explained.
The Finance Minister made it clear that proposals put forward by the constitutional agencies were all subjected to scrutiny, and as such, were matched against the developed revenue profile and the country’s capacity to borrow. “Debt is a major concern for any country, so we have to be very prudent in how we borrow, since our revenues cannot accommodate all of the expenditures that we would like to undertake,” he posited.
However, Minister Jordan indicated that if the country’s fiscal profile improves, there is a possibility for supplementary provisions once needed. “If the revenue profile improves, or if other considerations come into play, we will entertain requests for supplementary [provions] as was done in the case of 2016 for the Parliament Office and the Supreme Court, where together these two Constitutional Agencies got an additional $250M,” the Finance Minister explained.
He made it clear, that his comments were “general” and as such, covered all of the recommendations made for the 16 constitutional agencies.
The constitutional agencies include the Parliament Office, Office of the Auditor General, Public and Police Service Commissions, Teaching Service Commission, Guyana Elections Commission, the Supreme Court, office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Office of the Ombudsman, Public Service Appellate Tribunal, Ethnic Relations Commission, Judicial Service Commission, Indigenous Peoples’ Commission, Human Rights Commission, Rights of the Child Commission, Women and Gender Equality Commission and the Public Procurement Commission.
However, PPP Chief Whip Gail Teixeira did not take too lightly the explanation offered by the Finance Minister, expressing concerns about these agencies’ access to finance to fulfil their mandates as expressed in the Constitution. “What is most alarming Mr. Speaker, is that the highest body in this country, in terms of law-making, no other than the Parliament was cut in 2016. The minister’s amendment was approved by this House by the majority of one, and today, the Parliament Office has proposed, your office has proposed $1.7B current and capital, and the Honourable Minister has cut its total to $1.5B,” the PPP Chief Whip said.

Jumping to the defence of the Finance Minister was the Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge, who called on the PPP Member of Parliament to desist from misleading the nation. “I am not aware that the House has before it cuts in the sense that the Honourable Member of Parliament is making reference – there is a proposal. There is no time in the past where Parliament Office or any of these constitutional agencies has been able to call a figure and had it approved without consideration by any entity. It has never happened!”
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo subsequently took the floor following attempts by PPP Member of Parliament Irfaan Ali to grill the Finance Minister on his recommended reductions. The PM said the Opposition was using the forum to spread “political propaganda’ – a repeat of what took place earlier this year when the 2016 Budget proposals were being considered for constitutional agencies.
Warning against debating the matter, the Prime Minister urged that the question be put to have the recommended sum approved. Notably, while the $1.5B is lower than the sum proposed by Parliament Office, it is higher than the amount approved by the House for its 2016 Budget. The sum of $1.5B for the Parliament Office was subsequently approved.
In considering the sums recommended by the Finance Minister for the Office of the Auditor General, Public and Police Service Commissions, Teaching Service Commission, and the Guyana Elections Commission, a number of Opposition MPs, not only attempted to put arguments in the form of a debate, but put questions that sought to unveil the plans, projects and proposals of these constitutional agencies – a move the Speaker Dr. Barton Scotland warned against.
He reminded that at the level of the Business Sub-Committee of the Committee of Supply, which met on Wednesday, that Members of Parliament had agreed that they would ask questions and make comments in relation to the Finance Minister’s recommendation and comments. “You cannot enter into details of the programme of our constitutional agencies. You are to ask the question which you have in mind…We have agreed not to enter into questions which do not touch the work of the agencies and that is what a number of you…have been doing under the guise of introduction of issues have been attempting to do,” he cautioned.
After hours of considering the recommendations made by the Prime Minister, all of the proposals were approved with 15 of the 16 agencies receiving increases when compared to their 2016 budgets.