APNU+AFC parliamentarian Jermaine Figueira was on Friday elected as the new chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Figueira was elected at a meeting called by Speaker Manzoor Nadir following the recent removal of former Chair David Patterson via a no confidence motion.
Speaking with Stabroek News after his election Figueira explained that after attempts to re-elect Patterson were disallowed by Nadir and Assembly Clerk Sherlock Isaacs, he was nominated by fellow opposition member Ganesh Mahipaul. The nomination was seconded by Patterson and the election proceeded without opposition.
The current chair stressed that while Patterson has been removed, the opposition will pursue the same vigorous agenda.
“His removal is not a victory for the PPP/C. We consider what was done to Patterson a grave miscarriage of justice. We believe the passage of the motion was bad Parliamentary precedent. It doesn’t augur well for the work of the entire House nevertheless the work of the PAC has to continue because a lot of work has been lagging behind and we are prepared to be resolute in our stance to ensure transparency and accountability for the people’s money. We will do the work required of us at the level of the PAC,” Figueira explained.
Following a four-month standoff, Patterson was removed via majority vote in the National Assembly ostensibly for violations of the Committee’s Standing Orders.
The specific conduct attributed to Patterson was a failure to “put” a motion for his removal to the Committee before vacating the seat of Chair at four consecutive meetings. Patterson is also accused of refusing to adhere to a direction from the Speaker that he put the motion to a vote.
“David Patterson has demonstrated that he has no respect for the Speaker of the National Assembly and, it would appear, in the absence of a response to the Speaker’s letter he is unprepared to obey the Speaker’s instruction; he has disregarded the advice of the Clerk of the National Assembly on several occasions with regard to the Standing Orders and is resolute in his refusal, using all forms of subterfuge, to allow the motion for his removal to be “put” to the vote,” the motion, laid by Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira, stated.
During the five-hour debate before the motion’s passage, Teixeira claimed that while examining the Auditor General’s report issues raised were strongly put down by Patterson in his position as Chair.
“There was a lack of tolerance… and therefore Mr Speaker I was the one who called on the Chair to resign,” Teixeira declared amidst loud heckles of “shame” from members of the opposition.
The minister did not identify which issues were ‘strongly put down” and this explanation for the motion differed distinctly from the government’s previous suggestion that Patterson should resign because of accusations of impropriety during his previous tenure as Minister of Public Infrastructure.
On February 1 when the motion for Patterson’s removal was first laid in the PAC, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill told reporters that it was the government’s belief he should not continue to serve as Chairman “in light of what is taking place publicly.” When Teixeira was asked by Stabroek News on that same day to explain the impetus for the motion the Minister 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.
