APNU determined to sanction Finance
Minister
Based on the ruling of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh will appear before the Committee of Privileges to face one of two complaints raised by A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Shadow Minister of Finance, Carl Greenidge, on Thursday.
Raphael Trotman, Speaker of the National Assembly
But the Leader of the APNU, Brig. David Granger proclaimed at a recent press conference that APNU is not satisfied with that decision. It is hoping to retable the second matter.
The two complaints were based on the Minister of Finance failing to comply with a Parliamentary Order which asked that he lay before the National Assembly, the reports of the Government agencies such as the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.
The second part of that complaint also spoke to the fact that Singh failed to transfer the millions of dollars from several Government agencies into the Consolidated Funds.
The second complaint which spoke to the fact that the Minister of Finance released over $217M to two state owned media fraternities, did not hold much ground due to the “ambiguous nature of the complaint.”
Trotman said that no clear case was made out to say why Dr. Singh should be made to answer for an unauthorized release of approximately $217M to the National Communications Network (NCN) and Government Information Agency (GINA) in 2012.
The Opposition had cut the budget for those very companies leaving only $1 for each media house.
When the Appropriation Act was passed on April 24, 2013 and assented to by President Donald Ramotar on May 2, 2013, Greenidge expressed that the two companies had to do “certain things” before the monies were reinstated.
But the Speaker in his ruling, said that Greenidge’s motion did not specify the “certain things” to which he referred. Failure to adequately explain this area of vagueness and lack of adequate information to prove that the National Assembly gave an official directive on the monies released to NCN and GINA led to the Minister not having to face this complaint before the Committee of Privileges.
Trotman had said, “…and most importantly that the instruction or command was disobeyed. Before there can be a prima facie case for contempt, there has to be evidence of an instruction or command.”
“Had the National Assembly passed a resolution directing Minister Singh to act in a specific way, the position of the Speaker would have been different.”
Greenidge in an invited comment said, “I am unaware of any vagueness in the wording of the complaint concerning the failure of the Minister of Finance to carry out the decision of the House. The sentence to which the Speaker’s letter refers relates neither to the Minister’s actions nor to the decision of the House.”
Carl Greenidge, APNU’s Shadow Minister of Finance
“APNU sent a complaint to the Speaker as is required by the rules regarding motions pertaining to privilege. The Speaker’s analysis is quite acceptable to me.”
The Financial Spokesman for APNU said that the Speaker ruled by splitting the complaint into two. As regards the second category of complaints which are very important and which he believes to be “quite unambiguous,” Greenidge is “a little bewildered.”
He stressed that the matter is simple. “The complaint says that the Minister authorized that the money be spent notwithstanding the fact that no money had been approved.
“The analysis of the English is not an issue. I have consulted with our lawyers and we feel sure that it is a misunderstanding of the complaint which could be clarified. I have this evening (yesterday) drawn this matter to the attention of the Speaker.