We can expect the usual suspects to come crawling out of the woods hollering and screaming that AFC Chairman, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan was proven wrong and that his apology (‘Ramjattan apologises to Parliament,’ SN, February 26) should qualify him for the worst public treatment possible by government and PPP supporters. The truth is, Mr Ramjattan’s misstep was the result of a good faith intention as he zealously tried to get Parliament to make available to that sometimes august body a transcript of Housing Minister Irfaan Ali’s supplemental budget presentation last month, that should have been available 10 days after said presentation, but still was not available over a month later.
But make no mistake, Editor, the real issue is not about Mr Ramjattan; it is the grossly shocking failure of Minister Ali to properly answer questions about public monies for housing development he sought and got parliamentary approval for last month. And on this, the public is counting on Mr Ramjattan (as well as other opposition parliamentarians) not to let up in his quest to get the answers to the government’s continued questionable spending of huge sums of public funds and either no proper or downright poor explanations that can raise questions about impropriety.
Last year, to its credit, Kaieteur News did a fantastic job deserving of a prestigious award for investigative journalism in brining to readers’ attention a series of brow-raising government-funded projects that were either poorly constructed, were unused or had become decrepit, and even though this incurred the wrath of the President who publicly tongue-whipped the newspaper, it reinforced what most Guyanese already suspected: government in some instances was wasting taxpayers’ money on useless and ‘ghost and skeleton’ projects.
The question can be asked too whether any money went the route of ‘kickbacks.’
Editor, to help better understand why Mr Ramjattan (along with other opposition parliamentarians) needs to vigorously pursue this matter, the government sought and got the $4B in the supplemental budget last month, but there seems to be no detailed breakdown of how or on what the money was spent, only a general outline. In any responsible democracy that practises transparency and accountability with public funds, I would at least expect the subject Minister to show up in the legislature with a slideshow of pictures and a paper trail of documents and follow-up oral explanations instead of a general oral outline of several programmes that still do not adequately answer the questions from parliamentary members.
For example, when the Minister was specifically asked to account for the $4B he requested last month in supplementary provisions, he simply responded that he had already adequately and exhaustively debated the issue. Well, if he actually did, why would opposition parliamentarians still be asking him for answers or explanations? In fact, why didn’t he or the Speaker ensure Parliament had copies by Thursday’s sitting detailing the account of his presentation last month? You are going to Parliament to discuss the public’s business, especially how monies are spent, and your best response to questions about the spending is that you already answered the questions yet you don’t have transcripts of your past answers/explanations for them to advert to?
It also is almost comical to read the Prime Minister urging “Kaieteur News and other media… to resist the attempts to make this Parliament and the members of the Parliament look bad in the eyes of the Guyanese.” There is no private media house that can make Parliament look bad in the eyes of the people the way this inept government can. Can anyone remember Parliament passing legislation that retroactively covered the illegal steps of government in the Queens Atlantic II deal for the new Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation? Can anyone remember Parliament simply assenting to government’s request for approval of government’s position on the Clico (Guyana) debacle rather than opting for a full parliamentary investigation that could have exposed possible negligence in the massive loss that brought down Clico (Guyana)? Can anyone remember the number of bills Parliament passed and which ended up for prolonged periods sitting unassented on the President’s desk?
And here is another kicker. If, as reported, government spent $430M in 2009 on a project described as “development infrastructure in new areas and payment retention,” then basic common sense would dictate the Minister at least showed picture slides and accompanying reports of works done in the new areas and where anyone can go and physically see the works done. Did that happen? Can the Minister at least point the private media to these finished works so the public can see and be satisfied?
But as if that was not enough, the government requested an additional $680M in the 2010 budget for the same type of work just mentioned, but none of the money will go towards work on the lands at Diamond that government just purchased from GuySuCo. Now, if lands at Diamond are not included in this $680M, then can government identify where exactly the money will be spent? And will an additional sum be then needed for developing the lands at Diamond? Is there any drafting or project analyses that parliamentarians or the media can access in the interest of public accountability?
Editor, your newspaper and other private media houses owe it to the people of Guyana to continue being the effective Fourth Estate force you have become known, as in helping to keep this government honest with the people. Please go out there and take pictures of places where government said it spent the people’s money in 2009 and report back to us on what you found. Ask residents in the area if they also know of any projects undertaken in their area.
Yours faithfully,
Emile Mervin
