APNU wants PAC to review of constitutional agencies’ spending

Last Updated on Saturday, 11 July 2026, 8:59 by Denis Chabrol

Already saddled with the cancellation of several Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearings because government members did not turn up to ensure a quorum, that bipartisan body is next Monday set to hear a proposal by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) for spending of the 16 constitutional agencies to be scrutinised for the first time.

“For reasons unknown to us, the PAC has never examined audited reports and statements of Constitutional Agencies and several Statutory Bodies. We will be seeking to request of the committee to begin to examine the reports of those agencies in keeping with its mandate which is to examine the accounts showing the appropriation of the sums granted by the Assembly to meet public expenditure and such other accounts laid before the Assembly as the Assembly may refer to the Committee together with the Auditor General’s
report thereon, in keeping with Standing Order 82 (1),” APNU’s PAC member Ganesh Mahipaul said in a statement.

PAC Chairman, Vishnu Panday, who is from the main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), said he was in talks with APNU, about designing a workplan for that parliamentary transparency and accountability mechanism.  He intends to propose two or three meetings monthly or “perhaps at best once per week”. “The whole idea being is to take care of the backlog of work,” he said. He said APNU “definitely” supports frequent PAC meetings.

The ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) had in April 2021 during the 12th Parliament to changed the committee’s quorum requirements that essentially means that PAC meetings cannot go ahead without government members present.

On whether the PAC should examine the way monies were spent by the constitutional agencies such as the judiciary, Guyana Elections Commission, the service commissions and a number of rights commissions, Mr Panday said broadly ” every aspect and area of expenditure, you can be assured that we will take that on board.” “Wherever we find it possible within the realms of legality and the established rules and procedure of the functioning of the PAC, we will so do,” he also told Demerara Waves Online News.

Mr Mahipaul also wants the PAC to meet weekly to clear off the backlog of Auditor General’s Reports for several years that have not yet been examined. He said in a statement that the closed-door meeting is also expected to receive another proposal for the reports of 2020, 2021 and 2022 to be considered at the same time. “This approach would significantly accelerate the Committee’s work while reducing the burden on Accounting Officers, who would otherwise be required to appear repeatedly before the Committee on similar matters. Since many audit findings recur across successive years, considering these reports together would allow for more comprehensive examination and more effective recommendations,” he said.

Noting that after several attempts, all indications are that the PAC would convene its second meeting next Monday but in a closed door session to hammer out concerns, Mr Mahipaul justified the need for weekly meetings to clear the “significant backlog”. “We believe weekly meetings are both necessary and practical if we are to discharge our constitutional responsibility in a timely manner,” he said.

Mr Mahipaul said APNU anticipated that its colleagues from We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) would support that proposal but was cautiously optimistic that the the PPPC would also lend their support. He said that was “given that the reports before the Committee to be examined are years during which the PPP/C was in government and the administration has not demonstrated a strong commitment to robust accountability, transparency, and good governance.” He said the PAC was yet to complete three paragraphs of the 2019 Auditor General’s Report, highlighting the urgent need for a more aggressive meeting schedule.

Additionally, APNU plans to advocate for the immediate commencement of the process to constitute the Public Procurement Commission (PPC). Mr Mahipaul said there is a clear framework for this process, including inviting applications from suitably qualified persons, shortlisting applicants, and recommending five nominees to the National Assembly for approval and appointment. “Guyana deserves a fully constituted and functioning Public Procurement Commission, and we trust that all members of the Committee and the National Assembly will support this important objective.”