Ashni Singh’s behaviour has triggered a constitutional crisis – Greenidge tells House

By Abena Rockcliffe A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Shadow Minister of Finance, Carl Greenidge, has made yet another attempt

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh

to bring Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh into account for his “illegal” actions. Greenidge, on Thursday, tabled a motion in the National Assembly seeking to bring Dr. Singh before a Parliamentary Privileges Committee. But that motion is pending as the House awaits a written ruling from the Speaker on whether or not he will accept it. Once a motion of privileges is moved, no debate is allowed nor is voting required. It is solely up to the Speaker to either send the motion to the Committee of Privileges or not accept it. Greenidge told the House that Dr. Singh violated the law by spending monies disapproved by the Combined Opposition during the 2014 Budget debates, as reflected in a $4.6B Statement of Excess which the Minister tabled. That Statement of Excess is yet to be considered by the House. The Oppositional Member of Parliament told the House that a “constitutional crisis” has been triggered  by the Finance Minister’s use of public funds because the sums included on the $4.6B Statement of Excess represent expenditure not approved by the National Assembly. Greenidge argued that “He (Dr. Singh) spent the money then come for us to approve what we had already disapproved.” Greenidge said that the Minister continues to defy the decisions of the House and has to be held answerable for his actions. He said that this cannot be condoned. But those sitting on the government’s side argued that Greenidge “can’t go behind his (Dr. Singh) back and do this.” As heckling prevailed, and things started to get out of control, House Speaker, Raphael Trotman reminded that such a motion cannot attract a debate. Trotman said that Clerk of the Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, has received a copy of the motion signed by Greenidge and co-signed by Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Khemraj Ramjattan. He told Members that Greenidge would not have known that the Minister would have been absent from Thursday’s session. The Finance Minister, who was granted leave of absence from Thursday’s sitting of the House, has been defending the “legality” of his spending. The Minister has been using Section 218 (3) of the Constitution to justify his actions. To date, in the 10th Parliament, four Statements of Excess have been tabled, 58 per cent of which has been approved by the combined Opposition. Last  December, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) made good on its promise to hold Dr. Singh accountable for allocating unapproved monies that the combined opposition cut from government agencies and projects in the Budget 2013. Leader of the Opposition, Brig. David Granger, had announced that Dr. Singh’s action was unlawful and that APNU will initiate action through the National Assembly to deal with “Ministers who feel that they are not accountable to the National Assembly and who behave in an unlawful manner.” Last year, the Opposition cut $31.35B from the National Budget. During the Ninth Parliament, Housing Minister Irfaan Ali and Mrs. Deborah Backer were referred to the Committee. Only Mrs. Backer’s matter was ever heard but the Committee’s recommendations were never implemented by the House. In relation to Ali, Parliament was dissolved before the matter was heard against him. The Committee of Privileges may recommend to the House that a Member be reprimanded or called on to apologize or face suspension.