Opposition Committee Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) are in support of meetings being live-streamed to the public. During an opposition press conference earlier today, PAC Chairman, Jermaine Figueira said that he will suggest the next committee meeting.
“I don’t see any difficulties in them accepting, because these are the taxpayers’ monies we are perusing, and the general public has a right to know how their monies have been spent. So, it would advisable for us to take that recommendation for consideration [but] I have no difficulty in accepting the proceedings going live so that members of the public can have a firsthand look,” he said.
PAC Member and Shadow Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Ganesh Mahipaul, who was also at the conference, gave his support. He said, “I know that Comrade Figueira as the Chairman, and myself as a member and my other two colleagues – Comrade, David Patterson, and Juretha Fernandes – have no issues with the PAC being heard in public.”
He said that Standing Orders 95.9 (b) provides for sectoral committees and the Public Accounts Committee to sit in public, unless the Committee determines otherwise. He noted that a vote may be required for meetings to go public, and the Opposition Members will vote to have that done.
“The four members of the Opposition’s side in the PAC will vote for the committee to sit in public when examining the accounts of the agencies before us – of course, they will be matters that require us to sit in private, and that will happen. But when it comes to examining the finances, the four members from the Opposition’s side will have no problem with it being held in public,” he said.
