…Mingo clarifies issues surrounding funding

A BUILDING to house the Local Government Commission (LGC) is being readied and although the constitutional body has not been functioning to full capacity due to a lack of funds, members are optimistic that things will be sorted out soon.

Chairman of the commission Mortimer Mingo told the Guyana Chronicle, that several requests have already been made for them to have full access to the 2018 subvention totaling some $110M. He said that to date the Ministry of Communities has only released $26.1M to the Commission from its 2018 subvention. Efforts to get a comment from Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview, Mingo and his Deputy Andrew Garnett said amid the challenges, the commission has been forging ahead with its mandate. But there is only so much, the commission would do with the available funds. Detailing the commission’s five-month journey, Mingo recalled that after the eight-member LGC was sworn in by President David Granger on October 23, 2017, it began working almost immediately. From October 31, 2017 to mid-February 2018, the commission operated out of a Committee Room at the Public Buildings.

Mingo said it was not long after being sworn in that the commission began crafting its budget for the period November 1 to December 31, 2017, after being informed by the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communities, Emil Mc Garrel, that a $20M subvention was available for 2017. However, in order to access the subvention, the commission was advised by the Permanent Secretary that it must first make a written request to the Finance Secretary, Dr. Hector Butts for an account to be opened at the Bank of Guyana.

A formal request was made on November 21, 2017 and by December 4, 2017 approval had been granted by Dr. Butts but under the condition that the accounting officer, in that case – the Permanent Secretary, be listed among the signatories on the basis that the subvention was being transferred from the Ministry of Communities.

Once the necessary requirements were met and Dr. Butts again wrote to the commission on December 18, 2017, disclosing the LGC account number at the Bank of Guyana, and the list of signatories. On December 19, 2017, Mingo said the commission then wrote McGarrel, and not only informed him of the setting up of the account but also furnished the ministry with the account number and the names of the signatories to the account. In that letter, the commission requested that the $20M subvention be deposited into the newly established account. It was on December 21, 2017 that the $20M subvention was transferred to the LGC’s account.

Additionally, information was sought on the 2018 subvention, and the commission was informed by the Permanent Secretary that a total of $110M was allocated– $90M for its recurrent programme and $20M for its capital programme. That subvention was also catered for under the Ministry of Communities, Mingo explained.

In a letter dated January 22, 2018, the LGC informed Minister Bulkan that following due process a secretary and an accountant were appointed to the commission, during its 11th Statutory Meeting on January 11, 2018. The secretary was identified as Nickolai Price. It was also in that letter, that a formal request was made for the 2018 subvention to be transferred to the commission in full.

“We further requested in that same letter that all the monies allocated to the Local Government Commission be transferred to the commission’s bank account… and all documents relating to our finances be handed over to the secretary, who we intend to designate as our accounting officer,” Mingo explained. Mingo added that a formal request has been made to the Finance Secretary for Price to replace the PS as the Accounting Officer on the basis that from 2019, the commission’s subvention would be placed under the Ministry of Finance. Approval is pending.

Nonetheless, since that January 22, 2018 letter, the chairman said the commission’s secretary had been in constant contact with the both the PS and DPS in the Ministry of Communities concerning the release of the $110M subvention. It was after some time, that Price was informed that the commission must make a request for $26.1M under the recurrent programme and $10.2M for its capital programme.

“They (Secretary and Accountant) were informed that all of the monies cannot and will not be transferred in block to the commission’s account,” Mingo told this newspaper. Based on the advice of the PS, the commission submitted its proposal on March 16, 2018. However, only $26M was made available.

“On the 20th March, the commission received a Bank of Guyana cheque reflecting the recurrent amount of $26.1M…To date we have not received any monies relating to our capital request,” Mingo pointed out.

It was explained that the initial $20M was used to cover emoluments, rental of a building, initiate the purchasing of a vehicle for the commission and the purchase of a few furniture. It was noted too, that while the Commission has hired a secretary and an accountant, additional staff is needed to investigate and report on complaints lodged based on issues affecting various local government organs.

“As you know we have to hire some staff, and when these complaints would have been received, our administrative staff will go and address these complaints on behalf of the commission, put up a report and recommendation, and it comes back to the commission for deliberation for us to take action…So the fact that we don’t have access to resources, we cannot really advertise to hire these staff that would facilitate us to carry out these functions,” Mingo explained, while stating how the lack of resources is crippling the commission.

Additionally, it was noted that the $20M allocated under the capital programme for 2018 is needed to furnish and equip the building rented to house the commission.

PPP COMPLAINS

Last week, the three commissioners recommended by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – Clinton Collymore, Norman Whittaker and Carol Sooba – laid the blame at the feet of the Minister of Communities, contending that he is interfering in the work of the commission and starving it of resources. “We are unable to physically and efficiently respond to complaints in local government systems made by people because of what is going on. We have identified the Minister of Communities to be the man who is retaining authority that does not belong to him and because of that we are stymied and appear to be under some type of strangulation where this man is concerned,” Collymore – a former government minister told reporters.

Whittaker said despite the challenges, the commission has been making progress. “As we sit here, the commission has engaged the services of a secretary and an accountant…In spite of the attempts to impede our progress we have been able to move forward though not at the pace we would have wished,” the former local government minister said.
Sooba, former MCC town clerk, told reporters that though a building has been rented, no provision has been made for the “PPP and AFC Commissioners.”

And while, the chairman declined to comment on the accusation of political interference, he clarified the issue surrounding the building. He explained that initially, the Minister of Communities had offered to accommodate the commission at the ministry until a building was identified but the trio had objected on the grounds that the commission should be independent of the government. The Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, was approached by the chairman, and without hesitation, approval was granted for use of Public Buildings.

“The Clerk of the National Assembly quite graciously made available the space for the commission to operate temporarily, and also would have made available a personnel from his staff to perform the studies and functions as secretary to the commission, until such time the commission was able to advertise, interview and appoint the secretary of the commission,” Mingo said.

HIGH RENTAL
From October 31, 2017 to mid-February 2018, the commission operated out of the Committee Room, and during that period that a sub-committee was formed in December, 2017 for the identification of a building to house the commission. Several buildings were shortlisted, and the sub-committee had later identified a Queenstown building.
“One building in Queenstown was recommended, however, the rental price for that building was considered way beyond what we had budgeted for…and so the commission took a conscious decision,” Mingo posited. According to both Mingo and Garnett, the cost to rent the Queenstown building was well over one million Guyana dollars.

The search was subsequently extended and the commission landed an agreement with an individual who owns an Eping Avenue building. The Chairman stated that it was an issue of affordability and the Eping Avenue building rent is within the budget of the commission.
“The commission met and approved this building…,” Mingo pointed out. However, he confirmed that subsequently commissioner Sooba raised concerns about the accommodation for all commissioners. Though the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams did not respond to a letter from the commission last year which sought to clarify whether or not it is a full time commission, Mingo said based on his understanding it is not, and as such, offices are not provided for all commissioners.

“What we have here, we have an office for, and this is what the building can accommodate, a chairman, the deputy chairman, we are required to be here full time, the secretary, the accountant, the human resources manager, and we are also have to hire other staff, and so we will put the place in cubicles, there is a board room, and which by and large the commission can conduct its business in the board room,” Mingo explained.
Garnett noted that the owner of the building within a month has executed major repairs building to make it work-ready, and the commission is thankful.