Coalition replaces Lucas with Rajcumar
AFC executive member Dianna Rajcumar
AFC executive member Dianna Rajcumar

— amid internal tussle over members to sit on Procurement Commission

IT would appear as though the main parliamentary opposition has finally managed to sort out internal qualms relating to its picks of candidates for the Public Procurement Commission (PPC).

Last Monday, following an “emergency” leadership meeting, the A Partnership of National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) replaced Rawle Lucas, former Chairman of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) with Dianna Rajcumar, an Executive Member of the AFC, which is the second largest party in the Coalition.

Initially, of a list of 25 persons, it was agreed that the government would nominate three persons, while the parliamentary opposition would be tasked with naming two potential candidates.

At the end of that process, the government’s nominees were Attorney-at-Law Pauline Chase, Financial Analyst Joel Bhagwandin, and former diplomat Rajnarine Singh. On the other hand, the APNU+AFC had put forward the names of Lucas, and Berkeley Wickham, a former Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). Once the names were released to the public, reports began to surface that the AFC was displeased with the proposed names.

Former NPTAB head Berkley Wickham

When the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) met on Monday, it dealt with composition of the PAC behind closed doors. In an invited comment following the morning’s deliberations, Chairman of the PAC, Jermaine Figueira, reminded committee members that establishment of the PPC requires a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, which means that the prospective candidates must find mutual favour with the government and the opposition.

“…and you’re also aware that the opposition is comprising of a Coalition. So, the leadership of the Coalition would have met and deliberated and the end result is that Diana Rajkumar was selected as the replacement for Mr Lucas,” Figueira told the Guyana Chronicle.

The APNU+AFC Member of Parliament firmly believes that the finalised names, with the inclusion of Rajcumar, “will have the confidence of the two-thirds majority in the house.”

Rajcumar, who previously served as Personal Assistant to former Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, is the holder of two master degrees, one in diplomacy, and another in public policy, both from the Australian National University. She also holds academic qualifications in the areas of public administration, international relations, and public communication.

Attorney-at-Law Pauline Chase

GENDER BALANCE
Rajcumar, according to a curriculum vitae shared with the Guyana Chronicle, is an employee of the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Her appointment also lends to a more gender-balanced composition of the PPC.

Nonetheless, initially, when asked about which Coalition party recommended Ms Rajcumar, Chairman Figueira declined to comment, saying that “this is about qualified Guyanese being given the confidence of the work of the Public Accounts Committee.”

He said that he did not want the nomination to be perceived as being “party affiliation or along party lines.”

“You are chosen on the basis of your qualifications and the confidence that the members of the PAC would repose in you satisfying the requirements to sit on the commission,” Figueira insisted.

Questioned as to when the issue of the PPC is likely to reach the House, Figueira responded: “I would want to believe that after all of the due diligence would’ve been checked.”

He said that once this is done, a motion will first be put to the PAC for approval. “We’re actually going to be bringing that at next Monday’s (PAC) meeting,” Figueira said.

Financial Analyst Joel Bhagwandin

OPTIMISTIC
Once greenlighted, the names will then be presented to the full complement of the National Assembly for further approval, after which the commissioners will be sworn in by President Dr Irfaan Ali. “I’m optimistic that the vote in the National Assembly could be put at the next sitting,” the PAC Chairman posited.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, had also expressed hope that the matter would be addressed with urgency, given the importance of the commission.

As it is, the Public Procurement 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.

Guyana has been without a PPC since October 2019, when the previous commission expired. That commission, instituted in 2016, 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.

Minister Teixeira had previously explained that the current selection formula for the PPC is in keeping with the standard as set out in 2016, when the first PPC was sworn in by then President David Granger.

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. Reports are that these challenges have since been remedied.

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