Georgetown: The current administration within its first hundred days in office continues to demonstrate their seriousness about governing Guyana transparently and constitutionally, confirming Minister of State Joseph Harmon’s statement that the administration intends on Guyana being a law abiding country.
This recent stride was made this afternoon in the Public Buildings as the National Assembly met and approved Bill No. 3/2015 Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2015.
The Public Service Commission, the Police Service Commission, the Teaching Service Commission and the Parliament Office are the constitutional bodies which are now fiscally autonomous.
The purpose of the Amendment Bill is to extend the application of the Act to the responsible minister; establishing financial independence of the above-named constitutional entities, allowing for lump sum payments to be made to them free from the automatic obligations of Budgetary Agencies and the discretionary powers exercised by the Minister of Finance.
Minister of Finance Winston Jordon explained that Section 80 (c) of the legislation will enhance accountability and transparency as it requires annual reports and audited financial statements to be prepared and presented, as required by Section 80. “Section 85 of the principal act demands that …any Minister who falsifies any account statement, receipt or other record…conspires or colludes with any other persons to defraud the State…knowingly permits any other person to contravene any provision of this Act…is guilty of an indictable offence and liable on conviction to a fine of two million dollars and imprisonment of up to three years”.
Minister Jordon further explained that these bodies must enjoy fiscal autonomy so that they can serve the Guyanese people as such this new piece of legislation will prevent the Executive from micromanaging the finances of budgetary agencies.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge, supporting the Bill, highlighted that the proposed legislation, once implemented will strike down provisions which sought to undermine the independence of those bodies. He added that an examination of the Bill in its previous state would find that it was ill conceived as Article 222 A of the Constitution was not respected. The minister opined that as such, this this move by the administration to ensure that Article 8 of the Constitution which declares the Constitution to be the Supreme Law of the Land, is adhered to is commendable.
Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jaipaul Sharma in his presentation on the Bill also indicated that the Bill in its previous state contravened Article 8 of the Constitution, and voiced his support for the legislation.
