The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recently completed its examination of the public accounts of Guyana for the years 2010 and 2011. One of the issues of concern to the Committee was the abuse in the use of the Contingencies Fund. The PAC Chairman reportedly stated that the Finance Secretary seemed unable to clarify why this continued to happen and that a significant number of withdrawals from the Contingencies Fund did not satisfy the criteria set out in the Constitution and the Fiscal Management and Accountability (FMA) Act.
The Speaker of the National Assembly also weighed in on the issue when he stated that it is imperative for politicians to uphold the Constitution and that it makes no sense if the recommendations of the PAC are not going to be adhered to by the Government. He was of course referring to, among others, the continued abuse of the use of the Contingencies
