Dear Editor,
Mr Robeson Benn, Minister of Public Works is the latest in the line of ministers of the government prepared to violate the oath/affirmation they have taken and to defy the constitution and the laws of the country. Showing that he is not unaware of the illegality of his actions and the consequences which can flow therefrom, Minister Benn recklessly boasted that he is prepared to go to jail in defence of government spending.
In an article ‘I am prepared to go to jail’ (Guyana Chronicle, February 7), Mr Benn in comradely fashion assures the Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh that he stands by him for finding ways to allow expenditure to be made. Maybe Mr Benn does not realize, or perhaps he does, that it is the Minister of Finance who is constitutionally and legally authorized and responsible and accountable for any expenditure from the Consolidated Fund, prior to the passing of the budget during the period of January to April, and in the case of a dissolution of Parliament, for a period of a maximum of four months after dissolution.
Mr Benn must surely be aware that the Finance Minister is the subject of a court case in which he is alleged to have violated the constitution and the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act to the tune of billions of dollars.
The Guyana Constitution vests public officials from the President down with considerable powers and imposes on them a range of duties. Routinely, those powers are abused and duties often ignored. Mr Benn has been a member of a government where violations are seen as demonstrations of strength rather than lawlessness, where wrongdoing is often rewarded rather than sanctioned, and where violators are promoted rather than punished.
It is that kind of culture that spawns the type of recklessly irresponsible statement we witnessed from Mr Benn. He needs to be careful as to what he wishes for. If or when he gets his wish he must not complain.
Yours faithfully,
Christopher Ram
