PPP/C will be invited to budget preparation…Forensic audits will be done on state agencies – Granger

– New government gears for budget preparation-President David Granger (Part Three)

By: Kiana Wilburg President David Granger had announced that the APNU+AFC government would be meeting this week with the recently ousted People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) to allow for the transfer of assets and information.

President, David Granger

Heading the APNU+AFC team is Joseph Harmon who was appointed Head of the Presidential Secretariat for the time being. Kaieteur News continues today with the third edition of its interview with the President which was done mere hours before he was sworn in on Saturday last. Granger spoke on a range of issues which includes the annual budget likely to be laid in Parliament in June. This newspaper understands that the APNU+AFC has selected economist Winston Jordon to serve as the Finance Minister. He is expected to meet with the former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh today to receive pertinent data and other resources belonging to the Finance Ministry. Jordon graduated with a Degree in Economics from the University of Guyana in 1981. In that period, he received the Vice Chancellor’s Special Award for Best Graduating Student in the Faculty of Social Sciences. In 1990, the economist received a Commonwealth Scholarship to pursue postgraduate studies in Economics at the University of Warwick, UK and later graduated in 1985. He has a certificate in Public Sector Budgeting from Harvard University and another in Budgeting and Structural Adjustment Management from Penn State University, USA. In March, 1993 he worked with the International Monetary Fund as an intern.

Jordon would be bringing over 30 years of working experience in a number of areas including macroeconomic management; economic policy reform, programming and governance; resource mobilization; public finance; public sector budgeting; policy design and analysis; and design of poverty programmes and safety nets. He also served on several technical committees and state boards, including: Presidential Committee on Economic Matters (1990-91); Presidential Committee on Public Service Wages and Salaries (1997); Presidential Committee on the Privatization of Guyana Electricity Corporation (1997) and Linden Mining Enterprise (2003); Arbitration between the Government and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (1999).

Kaieteur News (KN): When will you start working on the budget and have you identified who your finance minister will be? President David Granger (P.DG): Well, we will have the budget laid very soon. At this point, (Saturday last) we have not decided on the Finance Minister for that is still to be determined. The APNU will get to choose that person.  And I would like to feel that the transition from the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) to the APNU+AFC government could be done in the shortest possible time to facilitate this. We could start the process as early as tomorrow. By the end of the week, we will conclude negotiations and have a Cabinet in position and after that, in early June the Eleventh Parliament will be assembled. But rest assured that in the transition period we will start working on the budget.

KN: Sir, considering the problems that surrounded the talks on the budgets between the PPP/C and the APNU +AFC, what will be your approach to the PPP/C now that it is in opposition? P.DG: We have committed ourselves to inclusionary democracy. We will invite the PPP/C to discussions on the budget preparation process and establish the types of mechanisms they failed to get off the ground to facilitate such talks as well as the passage of Bills. The budget and is very important and we will ensure we don’t have the car crashes we saw in the Tenth Parliament. We will invite them to talk on the budget and make their input. I am not shutting out anyone because they did that to us. I am finished with the fighting. That is history.

KN: Will we see forensic audits being done on agencies like the Guyana Forestry Commission, NICIL and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission by overseas specialists? P.DG: We have the capability and the resources in Guyana to do efficient audits. We must learn to be independent. We don’t have to resort to overseas intervention for something like improving the quality of governance. We will have a special team from here to do that.

KN: The APNU+AFC complained on several occasions about not being able to access coverage for its events through state agencies like GINA and NCN. Will you allow the PPP/C now in opposition to enjoy what was not extended to you?

(See the answer to this and more in Part four of tomorrow’s edition)