Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira on Wednesday addressed the opposition’s allegations that absentee government members are delaying the work of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). At a press conference in her Queenstown office, Teixeira presented data showing that the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Sittings each had between 40 to 50 meetings, refuting the opposition’s claims that the PAC’s work is being undermined.
Teixeira stated, “Look at the facts, look at the number of meetings that were held… That is what you call a red herring being used; the fact is that the PAC in most countries generally meet once a month. The members in the opposition want to meet every week. That is not always possible.”
Regarding the PAC reports, Teixeira recalled the backlog of reports from the Auditor General from 2015 to 2021. Under President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s chairmanship in the 11th Parliament, the PAC completed review of the 2015 report. The current PAC, of which Teixeira is a member, has completed examining the 2016 and 2017 reports. However, the draft report with the PAC’s findings and recommendations has been pending for over a year. The review for the 2018 and 2019 reports is ongoing.
Teixeira suggested that the opposition members of the PAC are hurrying the process to shift attention from their poor performance. Meanwhile, the opposition claims the government is delaying the review of the 2018 and 2019 reports to avoid scrutiny of its activities in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 reports. Teixeira affirmed, “… We are not going to stop the review of our years…But we have to get through their reports first.”
She also noted that the number of PAC sittings during the Twelfth Parliament was 59, with 40 in the Eleventh and 54 in the Tenth, indicating consistency in the PAC’s functioning across different periods.
Teixeira also addressed concerns about the slow review process of the reports, stating that it is not due to a lack of diligence by PAC members. She explained that both government and opposition members rigorously questioned various agencies and their representatives. However, challenges arise when officials like Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers appear unprepared or without adequate information.
Teixeira concluded by saying, “This is part of the slow up in the PAC which the opposition doesn’t want to talk about.” She emphasized the need for the PAC to carefully examine these issues to find appropriate solutions.
