Inauguration spending binge….

…”answer utterly disgraceful” – Opposition leader

BY DEVINA SAMAROO

Making matters more confusing, the Finance Ministry’s parliamentary response to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic

Finance Minister Winston Jordon

(PPP/C) questions in relation to expenses incurred for the Presidential inauguration ceremonies have created far more questions than answers. In August, the Opposition had submitted a list of questions about the inauguration spending to the Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs which were to be answered by Finance Ministry. But in its written reply, the Finance Ministry provided no clarifications on the issues within the public domain regarding this concern. In fact, some of the responses provided completely contradicted what several government ministers had already publicly pronounced about the inauguration spending. The PPP/C had asked government to provide a detailed list of all the costs incurred in relation to, and in preparation for, the Presidential Inauguration events held at Parliament Building,  Independence Arch, National Stadium, Providence, Pegasus Hotel, and elsewhere, including the clean-up campaign that preceded those events. The Ministry’s response is: “the Ministry of Education, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport was not required to provide any financial, technical, nor in-kind support in preparation for the Presidential Inauguration events held at Parliament Buildings, Independence Arch in Brickdam, Pegasus Hotel, and elsewhere, including the clean-up campaign that preceded those events.” Firstly, analysts have observed that the Ministry has limited its answer to the Ministry of Education, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport though the PPP/C asked a general question regarding the spending. Additionally, government’s reply is completely contrary to what was already disclosed by State Minister Joseph Harmon and Junior Education Minister Nicolette Henry. Minister Harmon had told the media on the sidelines of a post-Cabinet press briefing that government contributed minimally to this event, noting that most of the costs were covered by donations from private individuals. Subsequently, on the final day of the Budget Estimates, Minister Henry succumbed to pressure from questions sprung by PPP/C Member of Parliament Charles Ramson Jr and revealed that millions of dollars were spent on the ceremony at the National Stadium. Ramson had asked the Minister about a particular allocation under “subsidies and contributions to local organisations” under “Cultural Preservation and Conservation” within the Education Ministry and she disclosed that the money was spent on the inauguration ceremony and the T20 matches held in Guyana. Observers therefore have noted that the Finance Ministry’s answer indicates that Harmon and Henry were untruthful to the public or it can be considered an indication government is attempting to hide the total of taxpayers’ monies expended on the extravagant events. Meanwhile, the PPP/C had also asked the Finance Ministry to indicate the source of funding to which the reply was: “No financial support was provided therefore no source of funding can be indicated”. The Opposition had also requested a detailed list of the contributions made, inclusive of the nature and value but the Finance Ministry stated that the “Ministry of Education, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport is not in possession of such a listing.”

Again, the Finance Ministry focused its answer on the Ministry of Education, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport though this was not the question asked. The PPP/C also asked the Minister to indicate when an audited statement of the expenditure incurred will be available and tabled in the National Assembly. The Finance Ministry responded: “The Ministry of Education, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport is not in possession of any statement of expenditure, as no expenses were incurred for the stated activities. Additionally the Ministry of Education, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport is not in any position to audit and or table same in the National Assembly given its nonexistence.”

Jagdeo’s take During an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo noted that the PPP/C, and by extension the public, is still not clear about how the inauguration ceremonies were financed. “The Minister (Winston Jordan) gave an answer that is utterly disgraceful,” Jagdeo declared. “The country needs to know how state activities are financed,” he added, noting that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition had campaigned on the issue of transparency but now in government, they are completely dismissive when pressed for clarity on matters of national concern. Consequently, the Opposition Leader said he is mulling the idea of sending copies of the PPP/C-proposed questions and the Ministry’s response to international bodies like Transparency International; Canadian Embassy, US Embassy, British High Commission and United Nations. “(I will) show how much transparency we’ve gotten and to show how the PPP/C used to answer written questions versus their response…,” Jagdeo noted. In fact, he stated that there is no problem if the events were financed by the State, but the issue is the public is unaware of the source of funding and the government is being adamantly tight-lipped on the matter. “If it was financed by private individuals, do those individuals have an interest in government… do they tender for work in government, do they have expectations, were promises made to them? These are all issues that need to be answered. They preach about transparency but we don’t see anything in reality,” Jagdeo posited. Further, the Opposition Leader said he is of the belief that people were “forced” to give money towards the inauguration events in exchange for preferential treatment. “We believe that people were forced to give money and the promise was that you will get paid back when the contracts are awarded,” he said. (devinas@guyanatimes.com)