The then Coalition Government did not object to Dr. Irfaan Ali heading the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), despite him facing multiple fraud charges at the time. Therefore, his government should reciprocate and allow the main Opposition’s appointee, David Patterson, to remain the Chairman. At least, this is according to the Alliance for Change (AFC) Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan.
During a recent Facebook programme, “Alliance on the Move”, the former Public Security Minister posited that the Parliamentary Standing Orders are sacrosanct, and it stipulates that the PAC Chairman must come from the main Parliamentary Opposition. He added that it was out respect for those Orders that A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) committee members never resisted Ali as Chairman.
Indeed, before Dr Ali becoming the Head of State, he was sitting on 19 fraud charges relating to the questionable sale of State lands during his tenure as Minister of Housing and Water. Back in August 2020, after his party won the March General and Regional Elections and he was appointed the President, the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) withdrew those charges.
Ramjattan says that the government must now return the favor and respect the Opposition’s choice of the Chairmanship.
“We respected that from the selection of the PPP while they were in Opposition…They wanted to scrutinize the APNU+AFC finances [and] they wanted to put Irfaan Ali – then fine! We didn’t make a row about it. We just don’t understand why they are not reciprocating,” Ramjattan said.
Patterson is currently facing resistance from government committee members after a damning report revealed that he received over $2M in gifts from agencies under his purview as Public Infrastructure Minister from 2015 to 2020. At a recent PAC meeting, a motion was tabled for his removal, to which, he acceded. However, none of his three colleagues signaled their availability to take his place. Standing Order 82 (2) says that the Chair must be a main Parliamentary Opposition Member. The meeting was adjourned, and the chairmanship has since been in gridlock.
Patterson has since admitted to receiving the gifts but noted that he played no role in the procurement of the items. In a public statement, the AFC Executive Members said the practice of giving memorabilia and other gifts to Ministers is not new, and Ministers from both sides of the political divide would have received gifts and other memorabilia on special occasions.
The PAC’s role is to examine the audited consolidated financial statements of the country, known as the Public Accounts, as well as those of ministries, departments, and regions.
