The Standing Orders governing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been adjusted, requiring that a quorum for a meeting can only be called if two members of government, two members of the opposition and the chairman are present.
A motion in the name of Minster of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira, sought to replace the quorum rule which stipulated the need for the presence of the chairman and two members, irrespective of their party affiliation.
A quorum by definition is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly that is necessary to conduct the business of that group.
The PAC is a bipartisan parliamentary committee, which reviews Auditor General’s reports on the spending of public funds. Some of the responsibilities of the committee include the examination of audited accounts, as presented in the Auditor General’s reports, showing the appropriation of sums approved by the National Assembly to meet public expenditure and other such accounts laid before the assembly.

Minister Teixeira noted that the change in the rules governing the quorum is essential to maintaining efficient and accurate scrutinisation of the use of public funds. The minister spoke directly to instances where a quorum was established and decisions were made by the committee without members of the government being present to scrutinise the process.
“The quorum being amended is not harmful. It will in fact ensure that both sides always have two on each side, that you don’t have to have everybody but you have to have two on each side to make sure the work goes forward… This will enhance the way we operate in the parliament. It is not harmful to anyone,” Minister Teixeira said.
Meanwhile, PAC Chairman, Jermaine Figueira, in defending the rules said that the change made to the quorum of the parliamentary committee, will stymie its work.
“What the present construct does Mr. Speaker is that it compels all sides to be present because the work must be done. This is not what the PPP wants and it is quite evident,” he said.
One of government’s PAC members, Sanjeev Datadin stated that there is a necessity for the requirement of government presence to form a quorum. He explained that opposition members could perform “illegalities” as it relates to the scrutinising of public spending especially since the PAC is currently looking at spending during the years the opposition was in government.
“You cannot have either all government members working or all opposition members, that doesn’t work for transparency. Transparency means that both sides must be there, transparency requires it… We look at some of the things that PAC has been dealing with. They don’t want to hear about the drugs bond in Sussex Street. They don’t want to hear that year’s rent was paid in advance,” he said.
He added: “The people of Guyana deserve better scrutiny. The people of Guyana deserve that both sides be involved. The people of Guyana cannot afford a situation where the PAC committed an illegality in the absence of the government members. A vote that was done that was contrary to law, that cannot be allowed to continue.”