Guyana pays all arrears to Regional Security System

Last Updated on Wednesday, 20 December 2023, 0:52 by Writer

Guyana has paid up all of its dues to the Caribbean’s Regional Security System (RSS) totalling more than GY$300 million, Foreign Minister Hugh Todd said Tuesday during the National Assembly’s consideration of financial papers.

Shadow Foreign Minister Amanza Walton-Desir asked the minister to explain why the House needed to approve the “very large” supplemental funding of GY$382,418,300 million to which he responded covered Guyana arrears and the amount due up to December 31, 2023.

The Foreign Minister said the Guyana government needed to await an invoice from the RSS for processing. “They were a bit late actually in submitting so when they submitted the arrears as well as the current balance, we decided to pay both at the same time,” he told the Assembly sitting as the Committee of Supply.

Ms Walton-Desir queried whether the dues had varied over the years or there was a fixed amount. In response, Foreign Minister Todd said Guyana is a “relatively new” RSS member dating back to August 2022 and, in fact, the dues was not standardised. “There is a measurement that they use for your contribution which can vary from year to year so it’s not fixed,” Mr Todd said.

Replying to concerns by opposition parliamentarian, Annette Ferguson about why dues were not included in the request for supplementary funding in August 2023, the Foreign Minister said his ministry has been working closely with the Finance Ministry and the RSS but a better system would be put in place from next year. “Going forward, we will have a better understanding of the charges so that we can meet those payments within the yearly budget,” he said.

The RSS was established in 1982 to counter threats to the stability of the Caribbean in the 1970s and 1980s.

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh sought the House’s approval for advances from contingencies fund totalling GY$1,899,647,334 for October 1 to December 8, 2023.