–but Minister Teixeira says committee chairman has broken trust by prematurely releasing names

OUT of 25 names, the Government of Guyana and the Parliamentary Opposition have finally agreed on the five persons suitable enough to constitute the Public Procurement Commission (PPC).

The government’s nominees were Attorney-at-Law Pauline Chase, Financial Analyst Joel Bhagwandin, and Rajnarine Singh, while the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Opposition green-lighted Economist Rawle Lucas, and Berkeley Wickham, former Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

This information was confirmed on Thursday by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, who reminded that the selection formula is in keeping with the standard as set out in 2016, when the first PPC was sworn in by then President David Granger.

She said that this time around, even though the names were agreed upon by bought sides, it was “distasteful” to have seen them being prematurely released by the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Jermaine Figueira.

Teixeira said that because of the sensitive nature of the role of the PPC, it was agreed that the names would remain confidential until they are officially presented to the PAC at its next meeting on Monday.

The task of finalising the names was entrusted to a sub-committee of the PAC, comprising Figueira and Teixeira, who, after securing the approvals from their principals, have to officially report the names to the PAC.
“Figueira acted on behalf of the Opposition, and I acted on behalf of the President,” Teixeira said.

Even as the next PAC meeting date approaches, the release of the names, according to Teixeira, has broken the trust of the government’s side of the sub-committee.

She indicated that because the approval of the PPC commissioners requires a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly, it was necessary for the matter to be treated with sensitivity, and in accordance with proper protocols.

“This is a matter that requires two-thirds of the majority of votes in Parliament; not by those who are present, but two-thirds of the elected Members of Parliament, which is about 40-something people,” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister explained.

Teixeira said that she was also displeased to see that even with the names being announced, Figueira was also quoted by the local press as saying that the candidates could change, depending on feedback from the PAC.
“This is a new development he seems to be casting a shadow on,” Teixeira lamented, adding: “We shall see what happens on Monday.”

Guyana has been without a PPC since October 2019, when the previous Commission expired.

That Commission had served for a period of three years, with Carol Corbin serving as Chairperson, while former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Labour Minister Dr. Nanda K. Gopaul served as her deputy. The other commissioners were Civil Engineer Emily Dodson; Ivor Burnette English and Sukrishnalall Pasha, who is currently the Finance Secretary at the Ministry of Finance.

Even though the previous PPC was sworn in in 2016, it was not functioning in 2017. At the time, Cabinet Secretary and Minister of State Joseph Harmon had said that the non-functioning of the PPC was largely due to the lack of staff.

The Commission is a critical body which is constitutionally responsible for oversight of the public procurement of all goods and services, along with the monitoring of infrastructural works to ensure that they conform to the relevant laws and guidelines.