Patterson removed as Parliamentary accounts chair at 5:30 a.m vote

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Former Member

Patterson removed as Parliamentary accounts chair at 5:30 a.m vote

By Editor On Jun 15, 2021 Last updated Jun 15, 2021, Source - https://newsroom.gy/2021/06/15...air-at-530-a-m-vote/

At a Parliamentary sitting that started at 14:00 hours on Monday and ended at exactly 5:32 a.m on Tuesday, the government successfully managed to remove Opposition Parliamentarian David Patterson as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Members of Parliament (MPs) from the two sides of the House were engaged in heated debates during the wee hours of Tuesday in the marathon sitting of the National Assembly which also saw the approval of $23B in emergency funding.

The Motion, which was moved by Government Chief Whip and Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira, was passed after a 34-31 vote which saw only Lenox Shuman from the opposition voting in favour.

Patterson himself was present and voted along with the other 30 MPs from the APNU+AFC opposition against the Motion.

During the debates, Teixeira told the House that there was no entitlement of an individual for the Chairmanship of the PAC and that it was being held to ransom by the opposition who refused to have Patterson resign and as a consequence has prevented any meeting of the Committee.

She accused the APNU+AFC members on the Committee of engaging in bullyism.

“No chairperson is so entrenched and entitled to the point at he or she cannot be removed. Just like a government, if a government can be removed why not a chair of a committee? This is logical, isn’t it?” she questioned.

The government Chief Whip, who is also a member of the PAC, said she had hoped Patterson would do the right thing and resign.

His refusal forced Teixeira to file the June 3, 2021 Motion in the House.

According to the document, Patterson “has consistently and openly violated the Standing Orders and has introduced a level of bullyism unbefitting of a Member of Parliament, and, in doing so, bringing the image of the National Assembly into disrepute.”

It added: “That as a result of Mr. David Patterson’s conduct as Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee with respect to his open violation of the Standing Orders, among other things, in particular since February 1, the majority of the members of the Public Accounts Committee have lost confidence in him as the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee.”

Patterson was nominated and declared chair when the PAC met on December 28, 2020. However, at its sixth meeting on February 1, the examination of the 2016 Auditor General’s Report revealed several concerning expenditures from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, which Patterson had led during the period under review.

A motion was first moved by Minister Teixeira urging him to step down as Chairperson. Following his refusal to do so, another was introduced calling for his resignation as chair while remaining a committee member.

The intention is that another opposition member of the PAC be the Chairperson instead.

Replies sorted oldest to newest

DjangoAdmin

The intention is that another opposition member of the PAC be the Chairperson instead.

By LAW ,the Chairman comes from the Major Opposition Party .

6/15/2112:50 PM

Former Member

“Patterson’s ‘wrongdoing’ cited in AG 2016 report prompted motion; we don’t want Shuman to Chair PAC either” – Nandlall

By Editor - June 17, 2021, 0 , Source - https://www.guyanastandard.com...pac-either-nandlall/

By Staff Writer

The government-sponsored motion recently passed to remove Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Member, David Patterson as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman was not birthed out of malice, but rather, on the cornerstone of what is morally right and just, says Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall.

During his live show, “Issues in the News”, last evening, the AG said that the motion was not tabled because of allegations leveled against Patterson for acquiring gifts totaling millions of dollars through agencies that fell under his purview as the Public Infrastructure Minister between 2015 and 2020. Patterson is currently before the court for this matter.

Nandlall said that the motion was brought because Patterson is fingered in several allegations of wrongdoing in the Auditor General’s 2016 Report, which is currently being scrutinised by the Committee. The Minister pointed out that Patterson as the Chairman of the PAC cannot “preside over his own interrogation”. Indeed, the PAC has the power to conduct forensic oversight into the financial transactions of the government and to provide, where necessary, actions to remedy acts and attempts to commit financial transgressions.

“How can he chair? There are several transactions in the 2016 report that implicate Patterson in wrongdoing. How can he chair the Committee? How can you be a judge in your own cause? How can you investigate yourself?” Nandlall queried.

He added, “No matter how you explain this: that it is wrong on every level – it is wrong morally, it is wrong politically, it is wrong democratically, it is wrong constitutionally, it is wrong legally – these guys don’t get it. They make it into a political fight. This has nothing to do with politics.”

The Minister went on to debunk statements made by Opposition parliamentarians, who allege that the government’s motion seeks to replace Patterson with Liberty and Justice Party (LJP)Member, Lennox Shuman, who also is an Opposition Member with close ties to the governing administration.

“I want to emphasise that the PPP does not want the Chairmanship, and Shuman can’t be the Chairman [because] he’s not even a member of the Committee…So I hear them say that Shuman will be the Chairman. We don’t want Shuman to be the Chairman, we want the main opposition to chair it, but not Patterson because he’s a villain in the report. The report implicates him. How can he preside over his own interrogation as investigation? And it is as simple as that!”

6/17/2112:46 PM

Former Member

Jermaine Figueira replaces Patterson as PAC Chair

July 2, 2021, Source - https://www.inewsguyana.com/je...terson-as-pac-chair/

Jermaine Figueira

APNU+AFC Member of Parliament (MP) Jermaine Figueira has been elected Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

He replaces AFC’s David Patterson after a motion of no-confidence was passed by the National Assembly on June 15.

Patterson, who served as Minister of Public Infrastructure under the David Granger-administration, has been embroiled in controversy after he admitted to receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in gift items from agencies and departments under his Ministry.

As such, there had been widespread calls for the embattled Opposition MP to step down as Chair of the PAC – the parliamentary body that is responsible for scrutinising the Government’s spending via the audited reports from the Audit Office of Guyana.

Contacted for a comment on his election to PAC Chair, Figueira expressed “my election as Chairman comes on the heels of a grave miscarriage of justice against Mr David patterson who was doing a phenomenal job as Chairman.”

7/2/218:04 PM

TotaramSenior Member

Well OK..if they mess with him he will box their ears.

7/2/219:21 PM

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