Alliance for Change (AFC) Member of Parliament, Raphael Trotman is accusing the Irfaan Ali-led government of committing a statutory breach, when over $11.2B was approved for constitutional agencies without the requisite persons being appointed to the assembly.
“We have not started off on a good footing. In its first appearance in the National Assembly, the PPP audaciously committed multiple illegalities, or statutory breaches if you will, when it purported to pass the budgets for the Constitutional Agencies in clear violation of the precepts of the Financial Management and Accountability (Amendment) Act of 2015,” the former Natural Resources Minister said this morning as the Budget 2020 debates kicked off at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
“This Act clearly states the procedure be adopted by the Minister of Finance (presuming one is appointed), the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee,” he added.
Trotman was quick to point out that at the time of the presentation of the Estimates for the Constitutional Agencies, there was no gazetted Minister of Finance, no elected Speaker and no Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
“Further, the law (section 80 B (2)speaks of providing ‘sufficient time’ to enable members to consider the Estimates. It is well-nigh impossible for Members to have taken the oath of office and within minutes thereafter, be able to ‘sufficiently consider’ these vast sums for the numerous Constitutional Agencies. It would also be futile and foolish to argue that sending the Estimates out in envelopes, before September 1, was ‘sufficient’ as before that date, there was not a single elected Member of Parliament,” the former House Speaker said.
Trotman said that it is “worrying” that the PPP would “cast aside the Constitution and laws of Guyana so early and so blatantly.”
