The 2011 Auditor General’s Report: Ministry of Finance (Part I)

Each work has to pass through these stages – ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of time are sure to be misunderstood.

 Swami Vivekananda

As the New Year was about to unfold, we took a break from examining the 2011 Auditor General’s report to reflect, as a nation, on where we would like to be in twelve months’ time. We considered the need to change our political behaviour, given our experience in 2012. The politics of confrontation needs to be replaced with one of goodwill, mutual respect, and a genuine effort to find compromise solutions where disagreements persist. I am happy that President Ramotar echoed similar sentiments in his New Year’s message and that the Minister of Finance is now in dialogue with the Opposition parties as part of the 2013 budget preparation process.

20130121watchToday, we continue our review of the 2011 Auditor General’s report by considering current expenditure of the Ministry of Finance.

Employment costs

Expenditure on contracted employees amounted to $265.243 million or 72.5 per cent of the total expenditure on employment costs (inclusive of $107.8 million shown as non-pensionable employment). There was, however, no commentary from the Auditor General although there is widespread concern that the extensive use of contracted employees for regular posts undermines the traditional Public Service. The solution appears to be a reversion to a professionalised Public Service with unified pay scales and grades.

The expenditure on the revision of wages and salaries, which