The operation of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament was left in limbo yesterday after opposition members refused to entertain a motion seeking to remove APNU+AFC MP David Patterson as Chair.
The motion brought by Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira, called for Patterson to recuse himself as Chair. It was presented without notice or explanation aside from a lack of confidence on the part of the government.
“This morning in committee a motion came from the government side calling on the Chair of the PAC to recuse himself as Chairman because we don’t believe that he should continue to serve as Chairman in in light of what is taking place publicly. It was not to remove him as a member but to ask him not to be the person presiding as the chairperson of the committee,” Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill told media following the two-hour contretemps.
Patterson has been the subject of controversy every since it was revealed that he and his former junior Minister Annette Ferguson accepted million of dollars in personal gifts from agencies under their purview.
The governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) through Edghill has repeatedly called for Patterson to resign his post as Chair of the PAC. A New and United Guyana (ANUG) has also made this request.
Yesterday, media operatives who were present for the examination of the public accounts were barred from the Chamber while the validity of the motion and the motion itself were loudly debated. At one point just over an hour after media was excluded the meeting was suspended so that the Committee could seek the advice of Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Issacs.
Isaacs advised that the motion was properly presented and a debate ensued even as Edghill objected to Patterson presiding over a matter which directly affected him. When the motion went to a vote Patterson removed himself as presiding officer and called for a member of the Opposition to take his place in keeping with the convention that the PAC is chaired by the Opposition.
His colleagues Ganesh Mahipaul, Jermaine Figueira and Juretha Fernandes all refused and the meeting was suspended indefinitely.
According to Mahipaul it was clear that the intention of the government was to stall the operations of the committee.
“This Act is because the PPP doesn’t want us to get to the accounts of 2020. They are well aware that we are examining 2016 which we will complete very soon. They are well aware that we have merged 2017 and 2018 which we will complete in a short period of time then we will move to 2019 . The fact is this PAC will complete the work of 2016 to early 2020 very quickly and move into the spending of the PPP….Acts of the PPP are heading into no transparency. They do not want the PAC to function,” he maintained.
Figueria maintained that the Chair of the PAC is selected by the Opposition and therefore it is not for government to say whether or not they have confidence in his abilities because of allegations.
“You cannot put a motion on an allegation,” Figueira stressed while he reminded that President Irfaan Ali chaired the previous PAC while facing 19 criminal charges.
“We didn’t say that we didn’t have confidence in him. He was allowed to do his job because it is the Opposition which selects the Chair,” Figueira said of Ali.
Fernandes added that though Isaacs explained that his research has found cases of motions being put before committee he was unable to cite one instance within the Commonwealth of a no confidence motion being brought against a PAC Chair.
The clearly incensed parliamentarian explained that Teixeira refused to provide either a Standing Order under which the motion was brought or a reason for the motion.
Asked by Stabroek News to explain the impetus for the motion Teixeira said she did not have to provide any such information.
“I don’t have to give a reason for a motion. I think the public and you are very well aware of some of the issues involved,” she stated.
According to the longtime parliamentarian the actions of the government may have been unusual but there was a time in the Guyanese parliament where there was an attempt to remove a Committee chair which failed due to the vote.
Teixiera explained that going forward it may be likely that the Committee of Selection will have to meet and discuss the selection of the committee.
“The speaker will have to probably get invovled with another election of the Committee Chair. The Opposition has the right to change any member of any Committee at any time through the Committee of Selection,” she concluded.
