PPP skewers Sharma for saying ‘City Hall’ beyond audit
Monday , October 12 2015, Source
A CALL made in July by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for an audit of City Hall in July was today echoed, in light of the defensive position adopted by Junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma, on the matter. “The Party has also taken notice of the stiff resistance by the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and the Town Clerk against any audit being done at City Hall, a stand that runs counter to the present state of affairs where the country is awash with Commissions of Inquiries, audits, investigation, etc,” the PPP said in a statement today.
According to the Party, Sharma is being disingenuous in saying that City Hall it is part of the Local Government system, it is beyond the control of Central Government to audit City Hall. “Guyanese are not prone to accept such stupidity,” the party said.
The PPP stated that the Ministry of Public Service is part of Central Government and so is the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, in the case of the former, an audit is currently being done there while the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs had conducted several audits at Amerindian Village Councils deemed to be supportive or the PPP/C.
“The PPP abhors the double standards being practiced by the APNU+AFC Coalition. The Party rejects the partisan and self-serving “fresh approach” adopted by the ex-military/civilian ruling clique and calls on Sharma to come clean and cease the claptrap about transparency when there is so much murkiness and obscurity surrounding the activities of City Hall,” it said.
The PPP/C, when in Government, was at logger heads with the Mayor Hamilton Greene for years and charged mismanagement and corruption at the City Council, where it had no control. The Party’s contention has been that Green is single handedly responsible for the demise and deterioration of Georgetown and its environment.
