It is quite ironic that some of the same accusations that are currently being levelled against the APNU/AFC Government are the same ones those parties made against the PPP/C while they (APNU/AFC) were in Opposition. It therefore begs the question why is it that when a party wins political power, it conveniently becomes blind, or ignores the concerns of ordinary citizens. The APNU/AFC saw many things wrong during the PPP/C’s tenure in office, but now that they are given a chance to govern and to correct all these “wrongs”, they are proving to be a disappointment.

Over recent weeks, the APNU/AFC Government has come under severe fire for its extravagant spending on certain events. And to make matters worse, the Administration has not been forthcoming at all on the details of these expenses; for example, the source of funding, the amount, justification of the expenditures, and what returns or benefits such expenditures would bring to the country, taking into consideration the trying economic times we are currently experiencing. In fact several politicians from the opposite side, NGOs and even ordinary citizens have been voicing their concerns through various mediums for the Government to be more open and transparent when it comes to spending public money. The perception being created, justifiable or not, is that the Government does not feel it has an obligation to be accountable to the people.

It could be recalled that it was the APNU/AFC Coalition while on the campaign trail which blasted the PPP/C on numerous occasions for being corrupt and secretive in their management of the country’s financial resources. The Coalition had promised that this would be a thing of the past, and if they were to form the next government, they would be open, transparent and responsible in the way the affairs of the country are managed.

Journalists have been asking the relevant questions at various press conferences to get explanations from officials in terms of certain spending on overseas trips, Commission of Inquiries, Forensic Audits and social events by public officials, but the answers provided gives rise to the perception that the Administration is merely bluffing when it says its governance style will be “different” from the previous government.

As if there is no need to give account for tax payers’ dollars, officials just simply dismiss certain queries, or the answers supplied do not address the questions directly. The most recent example is the Government’s response to the PPP/C’s questions in relation to expenses incurred for the Presidential inauguration ceremonies. In August, the Opposition had submitted a list of questions about the inauguration spending to the Clerk of the National Assembly which were to be answered by the Finance Minister. But in a written reply, some of the responses provided completely contradicted what several government ministers had already publicly pronounced about the inauguration spending. To this date, it is still not clear about how the inauguration ceremonies were financed and how much was actually spent on the event or the activities preceding it.

Also, not very long after the Coalition took office, Government officials jetted to various parts of North America to meet and engage the Diaspora, but the details of these engagements and how they were funded were hardly made public.

Even if these expenses were covered by ‘friends’ of the APNU/AFC, the Administration had an obligation to disclose such details; ie if and how much was the State’s contribution, who the other funders were, and how much monies they contributed each. After all these were State activities and the public has a right to know.

Guyana will celebrate its 50th Independence Anniversary next year and already we are hearing of the millions of dollars that will be spent on making the occasion exceptional. All of this is happening against the backdrop of poor economic performance over the past six months or so. How do the Administration intend to fund these activities?

We believe that if the Government is really serious about inclusive and transparent governance, as promised during the elections campaign, it would serve it well by being more open and forthright about the manner in which it manages the affairs of State, especially when it comes to public finances.