WHEN the APNU+AFC Government took office in 2015, they made countless promises to the citizens of Guyana that they will provide a better life for all than the PPP/C Government ever did in their 23 years in office. Not only did all witness the previous administration’s poor deliverance on their promises, but all would have seen in the last month some findings that were discovered following an audit into the Government agencies.
In 2019, according to the audit report, the Ministry of Public Security purchased $600 million worth of office furniture and other equipment for the various branches of law enforcement. However, the report also revealed that millions are unaccounted for due to no findings of record/documentation of assets being received. Also, upon a physical verification exercise conducted, old and rusty furniture were presented as the newly-bought items, along with others that were not marked as the ministry’s property.

The audit report also revealed that the former Ministry of Public Infrastructure held on to 611 cheques, totaling $2 Billion, in January 2020, which should have been refunded to the Consolidated Funds in December 2019. There are also cheques totaling $865.2 million that have been paid out without any supporting documents to trace the transactions made.
In 2019, the ministry also awarded a $450 million contract to a company for the design, supply, and installation of a 150-kilowatt hydropower plant at the Chiung River at Kato Village, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni). This project was signed in September 2019 and was expected to last for 18 months. This is yet to commence, and the President had recently outlined that this project is at risk, and the Government is currently assessing the situation.

Additionally, in 2015, the previous Government took money from the Contingency Funds to purchase CCTV cameras costing $19 million, which have still not yet been delivered five years later with a new Government in office. One may question what was the urgency in taking money out of the emergency funds to get these cameras, if they have not yet become operable. It was also noted that the US company from which these cameras were allegedly sourced had become bankrupt.
Apart from the above findings, financial papers were debated and passed in the National Assembly. On December 28, 2020, Financial Paper Two, with a sum of $4.1 Billion was passed. This represented an advance the previous Government withdrew from the Consolidated Funds, in the last half of 2019. According to the Minister of Finance, this is a requirement by law.
However, what was puzzling to the Cabinet is the reasoning behind the withdrawal, as they cannot come to terms with the effectiveness and purpose behind the spending. According to reports, $40 million was spent to repair two generators for the Port Kaituma Power and Light Incorporation, which are three years behind schedule for repairs and maintenance. The community had also not had access to a consistent power supply until this Government took office.

A $1.7 Billion was used to conduct emergency works on the sea defenses along the East Coast of Demerara, where flooding was still experienced when the PPP/C Government took office. The current Minister of Public Works made mention that the situation was not so severe as to require an emergency bailout. The sum also included G$179.3 million to conduct emergency works to reduce flooding in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice); and Six (East Berbice Corentyne) which still resulted in flooding in some areas when the PPP/C took office, and had to intervene in controlling the situation. One may also question the criteria used to award contracts, which resulted in poor quality work with additional expenses to correct the issues.

Another $2.17 billion was used to fund the immediate land transfers between the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL), which the current Minister of Housing confirmed that many of these transfers are still outstanding to be completed. Again, the urgency is questioned.
Also, the Public Health Ministry received $13 million to conduct a vaccination mop-up campaign which, according to the present Minister of Health, should not have been allocated, as the National Budget had already accommodated that expense in 2019. Where is the money being used?
These are just a few findings, with more to look forward to. As the APNU+AFC Government bragged about the “good life” and “don’t stop the progress”, one can question what good life and progress they were referring to and for whom. Public funds which could have helped the economy a great lot were wasted and are unaccounted for.
Many jobs were also lost with the closure of the sugar estates, leaving many under harsh circumstances, while the then Government had other undisclosed plans for the taxpayers’ monies.