Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 10, 2015 News
The code of conduct developed by the new government as a guide for its Ministers is farcical.
That is the view of the People’s Progressive Party as indicated by General Secretary Clement Rohee at his weekly press conference, yesterday, at Freedom House.
Rohee and the PPP think that the code of conduct contradicts the explanation the government offered in the National Assembly with regard to the source of funding for the “extravagant” inauguration ceremony for President David Granger.
Rohee pointed to the part of the draft code of conduct that mandates a Minister to declare all donations and gifts of over $10,000.
His logic is that the ceremony must have cost more than $10,000 and so the funds that went towards that venture should have been declared.
The General Secretary said, “Since according to Government, public funds were not used to fund the massive and spectacular event, the question that continues to be raised is where did the money come from to fund the Presidential extravaganza?”
He added, “Assuming the money came from monetary gifts and/or cash donations, it follows that the event must be cost and a complete breakdown of the donors be tabulated showing the total value of the monetary donations and cash gifts received and the information be made public.”
Rohee claimed that under the PPP/C administration, it was a requirement that a budget be drawn-up for all public events as a result of inter-agency consultations.
He said that a proposal by the lead agency would have then been presented to Cabinet. Then, following deliberations, a Cabinet decision would be issued to the Ministry of Finance for a specific sum per agency and department for the release of funds to the requisite Government agencies and departments responsible for specific aspects of the public event.
He said that that such a process was not followed for Granger’s inauguration as nothing was heard from Cabinet about the cost of the inauguration. Rohee’s attention was turned to events such as Carifesta X, the World Cup and the 2005 flood when money was spent and not accounted for.
He told the media that he never heard objections to those spending before; therefore, it is irrelevant at this point. However the General Secretary said that the former Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, will hold a press conference soon to address those issues. Dr. Anthony would have been the Minister responsible for Carifesta and World Cup.
Nevertheless, Rohee told the media that Government’s refusal to disclose the sources of the funds gathered to fund the inauguration has created grounds for “deep suspicion and gives the lie to its commitment to transparency and accountability.”
“The point is whether the money came from wealthy donors, wealthy power brokers, small donors, reliable money spigots, the nouveau riche or the filthy rich the public has a right to know,” said Rohee.
He dismissed possibility that those donors may have wanted to remain anonymous and said that they have no right to such confidentiality.
Going back to his point about the $10,000 limit, Rohee said that the APNU+AFC Code of Conduct for individual government Ministers is the collective Code of Conduct for the entire government. “Consequently, the government’s acceptance of gifts of money was way beyond the stipulated $10,000 to fund the lavish inauguration event at the stadium, at Camp Ayanganna and elsewhere diminishes the Code of Conduct in the eyes of the public as farcical since the government by its own acts of omission and commission, violated its Code of Conduct from the very beginning.”
Rohee called on the government to make full and public disclosure on the source of cash donations and gifts received for the inauguration “so that the veil of secrecy covering this expensive event can be laid bare before the Guyanese people in the interest of transparency and accountability.
The PPP expects Transparency International and all those who pander to the deceitfulness and guile of the APNU+AFC coalition administration would break their silence and speak out against this travesty and cover-up by the Granger-led government.”
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