– claims it is to protect “sensitive” information

By Edward Layne

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has refused to hand over the computers belonging to the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, which were used by President David Granger, while he was the Opposition Leader, on the basis that there may be information that can be retrieved,  Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs has confirmed to  Guyana Times. Questioned on Thursday on the current status of the computers which were not handed over to the new Office of the Opposition Leader, Isaacs said he was informed by Minister Harmon that the computers would not be handed over. “Mr Harmon said he will not hand over the computers because there is information in them which can be retrieved,” Isaacs said.

When asked about the replacement of the computers, the Clerk after confirming with the accountant at the Parliament Office, revealed that new computers will have to be purchased utilising the $3 million Capital Budget for 2015 under the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.

When quizzed further on the Executive taking control of the computers which are the property of the Legislative, the Clerk said he intended to write the Minister of State advising that these items would be removed from the Parliament Office’s inventory and would be added to the inventory of the Ministry of the Presidency.

Further, Isaacs said he intended to write Harmon requesting an increase in the 2016 budgetary allocation of either the Parliament Office or the Office of the Leader of the Opposition so as to facilitate the purchase of new computers.

It is unclear if any computers will be purchased from the 2015 budgetary allocation, since this was cited as one of the factors that is preventing the full operationalisation of the Leader of the Opposition’s Office.

Isaacs said he was awaiting a list from Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira on the needs of the Office, but could not confirm if computers would be one of the items on that list.

Building contract Meanwhile, both Isaacs and the Finance Ministry have disputed a claim by Teixeira that getting the rental contract for the building to house the Opposition Leader’s Office was delaying the full establishment of the office.

Teixeira, during a news conference on Wednesday, stated, “The Ministry of Finance has put in some additional requirements to get a rental contract approved by their tender board. We are not familiar with rental contracts in the past in Government required to go to a tender board arrangement. So, although we are paying the exact amount as Mr Ganger’s office [as Leader of the Opposition] cost the Parliament Office in terms of budget, it is now almost six weeks and we have not been able to clear that. These are new – the requirements and I will call them hurdles or obstacles.”

However, Isaacs said that the taking of the rental contract to the tender board is nothing new, since by law any contracts above G$1 million must go through the tender board process.

He explained that the rental of the building has to be approved by the tender board of the Finance Ministry, because the deposit amount of $800,000 along with the first month’s rent of $400,000, amounted to a total of $1.2 million as requested by the landlord, which is above the limit that can be approved by Parliament Office’s Departmental Tender Board.

Additionally, he said the requirement is for the landlord to submit his Taxpayer’s Identification Number (TIN), Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Compliance and his National Insurance Scheme (NIS) Compliance. The landlord is still to submit his NIS Compliance.