Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 05, 2014 Editorial
Over the past few months the parliamentary opposition parties have been taking the government to task for spending monies without the necessary approval. Ever since the Donald Ramotar administration presented its budget way back in 2012, the parliamentary opposition has been making adjustments.
The matter reached the courts because the government challenged what, then, was actual budgetary cuts imposed by the opposition. For one, the opposition parties expressed their objection to monies being voted for certain government departments and for certain projects.
For example, the opposition parties were vehemently opposed to funding for the state-owned television station and its media entity, Government Information Agency. The latter could have been an offshoot of the Ministry of Information which often morphed into the Government Information Service. The Government Information Service was responsible for disseminating all the information that the government needed to broadcast.
Some were released through the medium of film and there were radio programmes, specially marked by the trademark of the GIS. The doors of the agency were open to the public and the information was freely distributed to members. GIS never operated as a political tool. Indeed, it focused on the government Ministers.
The Government Information Agency operates in pretty much the same way, except that political types give specific instructions to the public servants who work there. The state-owned radio station and television station were different. They were made to operate as though they were arms of the ruling party to the exclusion of the other political parties.
In the run up to the general elections the opposition parties had to campaign for airtime. Their advertisements were subjected to examination by the government and if too critical of the government were simply not played. This led to the opposition with its parliamentary majority cutting any monies to the government entity on the grounds that the taxpayers’ money was going to fund political work.
Now there is the stated view that the opposition could protest until it is blue in the face, the government could spend any money if the budgetary allocation was not enough, or there was no allocation. It had nothing to do with a parliamentary approval.
When the opposition parties first objected to the spending by the Finance Minister, one of the arguments the Members of Parliament raised was that the Finance Minister was reducing the National Assembly to a rubber stamp. They were saying that the Finance Minister was spending monies as he saw fit and then going to parliament for approval.
Of course, the opposition parties have not been au fait with the various financial regulations. Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, who is no lawyer, has duly found in article 218 (3) of the Constitution that: If in respect of any financial year it is found … that any monies have been expended for any purpose in excess of the amount appropriated for that purpose by the Appropriation Act, or for a purpose for which no amount has been appropriated by that Act, a supplementary estimate or, as the case may be, a statement of excess showing the sums required or spent shall be laid before the Assembly by the Minister responsible for finance or any other Minister designated by the President.
The statutes say nothing about the Assembly having the power to approve or disapprove. One must now wonder at the need for any budget debate. Decisions emanating from the debate, once these are fashioned by the opposition who currently hold the majority in the House are meaningless.
Surely the framers of the constitution could not have meant that a government could spend as much money as it wants on any programme that it needs without any oversight. But that is what it appears to be so the opposition parties thought more of themselves that they needed to. The nation is now left to see them for what they are people who simply did not know their powers or lack of it.
LISTEN HOW JAGDEO WILL MAKE ALL GUYANESE RICH!!!
Apr 24, 2024
Round 2 GFF Women’s League Division One Kaieteur Sports – The Guyana Police Force FC on Saturday last demolished Pakuri Jaguars FC with a 17 – 0 goal blitz at the Guyana Football...Kaieteur News – Just recently, the PPC determined that it does not have the authority to vitiate a contract which was... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]