Request for information on public

service payout…Finance Minister gives

no commitment to providing paper trail

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh has responded with reservation to questions pertaining to the submission of documents to support his explanation of the use of public funds allocated for payments to public workers.

Finance Minister
Dr Ashni Singh

Controversy surrounds the spending of money allocated for public servants’ salary increase. Over 10 years now, workers have received government-imposed increases, but this year’s arbitrary five percent increase has been met with much resistance. There is further disagreement over an alleged unaccounted $8B budgetary allocation for Revision of Wages and Salaries for public servants over the past five years.
The union representing the public servants has thus requested a paper trail of the funds and a complete report on the contracted workers in public positions.
The Minister has however refused to state categorically whether he would – for the sake of transparency – be directing his team to make the documents available, as requested,  to the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU).
In a telephone interview with this publication, Minister Singh charged that the use of the workers’ public funds “is a matter of public record”. “Every year, in parliament, the purpose and use of the funds is explained and it is voted on. Any one pretending not to know the use of these funds is downright dishonest.”
The Minister went on to say that he is not directly linked to the spending of the funds, and related that technical officers are responsible for the use and pay out of the money. Also, the Minister charged that, the spending is viewed and audited by the Auditor General, returned to the parliament, and put before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), where it is scrutinized.
When asked whether he was in essence saying that he sees no need to provide the requested paper trail, Dr Singh questioned, “Did I say that?” The Minister, just before cutting short the interview, reiterated that the information is made public.
Further questions relating to whether the Minister can actually provide the requested information and further direct his team to provide a report on the hired contracted workers, did not meet his ear.
The GPSU has related, however, that protest action will continue until the government listens. This is despite the administration stating clearly that it is unable to pay more than five percent, and that the increase will within a matter of days be paid out.
GPSU President Patrick Yarde stated that he is unconvinced that the Finance Minister can make the necessary information available. He said that the Minister cannot point to his technical team since, “he is the Minister and he would have put forward the budget, therefore making him responsible for the public’s money.”

GPSU president Patrick Yarde

Minister Singh in response to accusations of misusing the public workers’ money explained that the sums are not used only for pay increases, but for employment shortfalls; that is, promotions and additional staff.
Yarde has charged however that the Minister’s explanation is misleading and dishonest, as he had stated previously that money allocated for increases cannot be spent for anything else.
“He (Minister Singh) is in charge. He is the Minister and therefore must see that the spending of funds is consistent with the law. If he is saying that the information is put before parliament, then it is available, and he can instruct his team to gather and hand over the information to him and subsequently hand it over to the union.
“He could have gotten his staff to immediately provide the information and clear up the matter, but we know different about the spending of this money, and it has therefore led us to convene a comprehensive study of the matter where more discrepancies are being realized.”  Yarde said he wrote the Minister on the issues in the fore and gave him a fair chance to provide an explanation. Yarde has continuously stated also that he believes this issue of contracting workers is being gravely misused. The union has continuously requested in-depth information on the spending of the public funds, but has been regularly denied.