The exhibition of outright arrogance in Cancun, Mexico, at the UN Climate Talks by President Jagdeo does not augur well for Guyanese in the coming months. If in the presence of Mr. Stoltenberg, Norway’s Prime Minister, he can fuss and fume to the whole world, in typical Mahaica cuss-down style, what will he not attempt on his own countrymen of whom he has grown to have very scant respect for.
Anticipating that in this Christmas season he will be coming back empty-handed, he will be a very angry man upon his arrival in Georgetown today.
President Jagdeo cannot appreciate that modern, democratic countries like Norway will be ultra-cautious in doling out millions of their taxpayers’ dollars on projects which are not going to be properly monitored and results-based. Especially when the project is in a country governed so badly as is Guyana, which Transparency International puts as one of the most corrupt in the world.
The AFC has provided evidence to all the Norwegian delegations to have visited here about this Government’s poor record where monies are concerned, and its abysmal antecedents of keeping its part of a bargain. Moreover, the AFC continues to do so on an ongoing basis through regular correspondences to the Norwegian team appointed to assess Norway’s REDD projects worldwide.
So who will bear the brunt of his wrath when His Excellency returns? I believe it will be two important players, one involved in matters electoral, Mr. Steve Surujbally, GECOM Chairman; and, the other in matters relating to financial accountability, Mr. Deodat Sharma, the Auditor General.
Both men have in a sense stood up to His Excellency, making pronouncements recently which will provoke his ranting and raving.
Mr. Surujbally condemned Government’s withdrawal of funding for adverts in the private media, and the dissolving of the Media Monitoring Unit. He has lobbied for the financial independence of the Elections Commission, all to no avail. Retaliation in the form of not being able to access quickly enough funds for the running of GECOM, is what Steve is now experiencing.
But worse than this is the knock he will now take in seeing the stealthy manipulation by the Jagdeo Government of the Chief Elections Officer Mr. Gocool Boodhoo from GECOM’s jurisdiction. What has happened here will irk the Chairman as he, like the President, has a big ego.
It is understood that neither the Chairman nor GECOM were told anything, nor was their consent sought before the Chief Elections Officer was sent for overseas duties at the instruction of Government. This is an unwelcome sign coming as it is so near to another election season. It must be condemned. And I, on behalf of the AFC, hereby denounce this ugly development and foreboding signal.
The Elections Commission, as prescribed by the Constitution, is supposed to be an independent body. Inherent in this scheme of things, must mean that its chief accounting and executive officer must be servant of the Commission and not the Government. That which has now happened is thus a dilution of, if not a direct assault on, the autonomy and independence of GECOM.
Going on an international mission to see that an election is free and fair is a noble exercise. But the manner in which it is done is important. GECOM and its Chairman at the very minimum ought to have been asked to release the services of Mr. Boodhoo for this purpose. Not pluck him out and send him overseas at the whim and fancy of the political powers that be! This development can wean further instructions directly to the Chief Elections Officer by the political directorate, and a thinking that this is OK. It is not! And so must be nipped in the bud.
Occasions like these can create the initial shaping of what are known as conventions. It takes a just and rational political leadership to encourage this. Here is a plea that the convention be put to use, that before any staff member of the Elections Commission be put on assignment by Government as per occasioned here, whether senior or junior, that permission of the Commission and its Chairman be sought and obtained. There is matter in manner, and substance in form. And an adoption of this lesson can result in reducing tensions between our important institutions, and a workable operation of the doctrine of separation of powers.
Mr. Sharma, our hard working Auditor General, recently brought out another Report. It is confirmatory of the massive scale of irregularities and illegalities in our financial landscape. Over the years he has been condemning the persistence of what he regards as a wrong, the refusal of Government in putting all revenues of the Lotto scheme into the Consolidated Fund.
This was the position of his predecessor, the very famous Mr. Anand Goolsarran, who was literally pushed out of this high office for demanding that his independence be respected. Mr. Goolsarran is now the Executive Secretary to the UN Board of Auditors. Recently he has written a wonderful book based on his Doctoral thesis. It is called Improving Public Accountability – the Guyana experience 1985 to 2007. It is a must read and a must buy for all our Parliamentarians and active political practitioners. In it he had this to say, something which Mr. Sharma undoubtedly agrees with, at page 191:
“ The Government’s cash resources also continued to be scattered in numerous bank accounts instead of being transferred to the Consolidated Fund established by the Constitution into which all public monies are to be placed and out of which public expenditures are to be incurred on the sole authority of the Legislature. For example, proceeds from the Guyana Lottery continue to be kept outside of the Consolidated Fund and expenditures are incurred on the authority of the Executive and not the Legislative branch. The failure to adhere to revenue and expenditure results in a circumvention of the authority of the legislature and dilutes its responsibility in relation to public finance.”
In retaliation for Mr. Sharma taking this line on the Lotto funds, the President ordered his humble servant, the Attorney General, to send the Auditor General a legal opinion, obviously with the intent to pressuring him into dropping the comments about the Lotto Funds which are repeated annually in his Report. This legal opinion is a woeful commentary on the approach utilized by this Government on the issue of accountability. It is backward thinking and seeks to position our accountability architecture in Jurassic Park rather than evolving us into humanity.
This is what the Honourable Charles Ramson S.C. concludes:
“The lotto Funds, as the monies credited to the Development Fund of Guyana are properly described, have been excepted from deposit into the Consolidated Fund as is made crystal clear by art 216. These funds are lawfully deposited in an Extra-Budgetary Fund called the Development Fund of Guyana established by the Government Lotteries Act Cap 80:07 since 1963.”
The legal opinions of former Attorneys General of the PPP Administration since 1912 are very much unlike this one. But President Jagdeo really likes this one. Expect His Excellency to bring thunder and darkness to the Audit Office with this new ammunition he has. This legal opinion ought to be made public and be scrutinized for its unworthiness. Mr. Sharma must stand strong and not be intimidated. Just like Goolsarran.
The AFC condemns this rotten development also. It will be forwarding this opinion and a commentary as to what it says about our Government’s transparency and accountability standards to Mr. Stoltenberg of Norway, Mr. Valentini of the World Bank, and Mr .Aldy of the USA.
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