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November 28 ,2020

Source

David Patterson

David Patterson

-as Public Accounts Committee set to meet next week

Designated Chair of the Public Accounts Commit-tee (PAC) David Patterson yesterday signalled his intention to request special audits of the COVID-19 relief grant programme and the single-source procurement of 44 tractors by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

During a virtual press conference held by the Alliance for Change (AFC) yesterday, Patterson repeated the call for Speaker Manzoor Nadir to convene all standing and select committees in particular the PAC.

This committee, which last met on August 6, 2018, is a full three and a half years behind in its examination of the public accounts as detailed in the various Auditor General’s Reports, the opposition parliamentarian lamented.

He explained that the Parliamentary Standing Orders prescribe that the Speaker convene the first meeting of each committee so that a Chairperson can be elected from its members. The same Orders, according to Patterson, provide for the Speaker to nominate either the Deputy Speaker or another member of parliament to convene the meeting on his behalf if he is unavailable.

In the absence of government members of the committee, Patterson believes the meeting can still go on.

“Three members constitute a quorum… the opposition has four members…the Chairman of the Committee must come from the opposition – thus the attendance of the Government members, while desirable, is not necessary,” Patterson said while explaining that the meeting is likely to be very brief since the first meeting of the tenth PAC lasted a mere 15 minutes.

He went on to note that Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones has received unofficial communication from the Speaker indicating that the first meetings of all Committees will be held on Monday and Tuesday but stressed that this has not been officially communicated as required by the Standing Orders.

“Standing Orders require Members to have three days’ notice before the holding of a meeting, and as of [Friday], no Member of the Opposition received notice for a proposed meeting,” he said.

Nevertheless, Patterson has already outlined his agenda for at least the first few sittings.

“Whenever the PAC sits to meet, I intend to request reports on several troubling issues that have [and] are developing,” he said explaining that these include the procurement process at GuySuCo.

The sugar company announced on Monday that it would be purchasing via an “accelerated procurement process” 44 articulated tillage tractors to contribute to its soil improvement programme.

The tractors are being purchased from Game Equipment LLC, formerly Cameco.

GuySuCo’s Chief Exe-cutive Officer (CEO) Sasenarine Singh while responding to questions from Stabroek News stated that attempts had been made to reach out to the local private sector to rent tractors but after a less than satisfactory response the company has moved to procure “sugar specific tractors” through an accelerated procurement process.

Asked to explain this process he described it as being “focused” on the procurement process and working weekly to see it through.

These tractors are projected to cost nearly half, $1.5 billion of the $5 billion allocated by government for the revitalization of the sugar industry.

Value for money

“I intend to ask the audit office to perform a value for money audit on this procurement,” Patterson announced yesterday.

The questions he would like to see answered include: How and why was this brand of tractor selected; what investigations were conducted to ensure that these tractors are suitable for the soil and climate conditions in Guyana; does GuySuCo have any experience in operating and maintaining tractors like these and is there training for staff to drive and operate the vehicles and implement a maintenance programme?

He reminded that tractors sourced from India in the past could not work because the soil was very different, so the tractors were distributed to hinterland communities where conditions were more suitable.

“When you start to change the entire regime of the company an investigation has to be done to ensure it’s not a hare-brained scheme,” the parliamentarian asserted.

In relation to the COVID-19 relief fund, the PAC, under the direction of Patterson, will be seeking an operational report.

Patterson stressed that although the financial expenditure for the project will be included in the Auditor General’s 2020 report, several other issues with regards to the distribution programme have arisen.

These issues include claims that several persons and areas have been bypassed. In cases where large families of more than one household occupy a single building there have been reports that only a single family or part of the building have received funds.

“We have also received report that sections of communities supportive of the (APNU+AFC) Coalition have been bypassed and public servants seconded to outlying regions have not been paid.  While the matter of payments will be in the 2020 AG report, we will seek an Operational Report before Budget 2021,” he concluded.                   

The current Public Accounts Committee comprises Patterson, Juretha Fernandes, Ganesh Mahipaul and Jermaine Figueira for the opposition. Members from the government’s side of the House are Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, Dharamkumar Seeraj, Vishwa D.B. Mahadeo and Sanjeev Datadin.

Replies sorted oldest to newest

@seignet posted:

He should shut his poke. A frigging racist prick. People like him makes it difficult for Guyana to move forward.

Is that a switch? Guyana is moving forward regardless of whatever they try to do. They are people who will always try to wish the government to fail. It's time to bury the hatch and work together as one people, one nation, and hoping for one destiny.

R
@Django posted:

Under which political party ?

Under My Party. The PPP won the election. It is customary that when a party wins an election, the Leader of that Party asked the other parties for their cooperation and respect.

R
@Ramakant-P posted:

Under My Party. The PPP won the election.

It is customary that when a party wins an election, the Leader of that Party asked the other parties for their cooperation and respect.

Good luck !!!!  the PPP stole the Election ,re-count proves that.

You thinks "Indo pun tap"  forever , is the answer to Guyana ethnic strife.

Django
Last edited by Django
@Django posted:

Good luck !!!!  the PPP stole the Election ,re-count proves that.

I think you meant the PNC tried to steal the Election under the guidance of Mingo and Lolofield. Thay failed. The recount showed that the PPP won by over 15000 votes.

R
@Ramakant-P posted:

I think you meant the PNC tried to steal the Election under the guidance of Mingo and Lolofield. Thay failed.

The recount showed that the PPP won by over 15000 votes.

The re-count showed the Electoral Fraud in PPP strong holds ,especially in East Coast Demerara ,Region 4.

Most PPP supporters are focusing on Mingo clumsy attempt to fudge numbers.

Django
Last edited by Django
@Django posted:

The re-count showed the Electoral Fraud in PPP strong holds ,especially in East Coast Demerara ,Region 4.

Most PPP supporters are focusing on Mingo clumsy attempt to fudge numbers.

The recount was done by Mingo and he fudged the numbers.  The PPP had nothing to do with that.  Election Fraud in PPP stronghold?  Let me give you an example. In the Enterprise area, a ballot box was opened, and there 140  votes for the Coalition and 2 votes for the PPP. That was in a predominantly Indian district. No blacks lived there yet the PNC got all the votes. It was just like the overseas vote by the Burnham Government.

R
@Ramakant-P posted:

The recount was done by Mingo and he fudged the numbers.

The PPP had nothing to do with that.  Election Fraud in PPP stronghold?  Let me give you an example. In the Enterprise area, a ballot box was opened, and there 140  votes for the Coalition and 2 votes for the PPP. That was in a predominantly Indian district. No blacks lived there yet the PNC got all the votes. It was just like the overseas vote by the Burnham Government.

Wrong !!!  as for the rest ,don't know where you get the information.

Django
@Ramakant-P posted:

The recount was done by Mingo and he fudged the numbers.  The PPP had nothing to do with that.  Election Fraud in PPP stronghold?  Let me give you an example. In the Enterprise area, a ballot box was opened, and there 140  votes for the Coalition and 2 votes for the PPP. That was in a predominantly Indian district. No blacks lived there yet the PNC got all the votes. It was just like the overseas vote by the Burnham Government.

Dis chap head haad baad.  This matter was discussed on this Forum and it was pointed out that the Enterprise in question is not the one on the ECD, the one near Melanie, near Bachelors Adventure but a different Enterprise yet he keeps posting crap. 

T
@Django posted:

Good luck !!!!  the PPP stole the Election ,re-count proves that.

You thinks "Indo pun tap"  forever , is the answer to Guyana ethnic strife.

This statement is dangerous.... statements without proof daily, folks like you are dangerous to humans...

sachin_05
Last edited by Django
@sachin_05 posted:

This statement is dangerous.... statements without proof daily, folks like you are dangerous to humans...

What more proof is needed ,the stealing of 2020 Election by the PPP was discovered and aired to the public at the re-count ,there are many missing statutory documents from ballot boxes in PPP strong holds, all irregularities are documented in a report by GECOM.  Was it dangerous to state rigging of elections during the PNC era ?

Django
Last edited by Django
@Django posted:

What more proof is needed ,the stealing of 2020 Election by the PPP was discovered and aired for the public at the re-count ,there are many missing statutory documents from ballot boxes in PPP strong holds. Was it dangerous to state rigging of elections during the PNC era ?

The system was designed to be tally by the SOPs which is witnessed and signed by contesting parties and carbon copies are given to all including observers. After that those statutory documents are GECOM responsibility and don’t mean squat how they handle them. Now can you be totally honest and say which party failed to honor their copies of SOPs? If you can you will be considered less dangerous....

sachin_05
Last edited by sachin_05
@sachin_05 posted:

The system was designed to be tally by the SOPs which is witnessed and signed by contesting parties and carbon copies are given to all including observers. After that those statutory documents are GECOM responsibility and don’t mean squat how they handle them. Now can you be totally honest and say which party failed to honor their copies of SOPs? If you can you will be considered less dangerous....

SOPS aren't full proofs for Electoral Fraud ,re-counts will prove fraud . There are procedures for statutory documents ,where they are placed. No one buys a pig in the bag ,where there are ballots in boxes and no documents to prove the validity of the number of ballots.

The 2020 Elections is the first time a detailed Election re-count took place and aired to the public ,where numerous irregularities are found . The declaration of the Elections was made from Statements of Recount , which are currently challenged in the Courts by the Elections Petition. For the 2020 Elections tallies from SOR  is the document that is Gazetted not SOPS. That's the focus presently.

I am not interested in your poor judgement of people ,there is noting to prove.

Django
Last edited by Django
@Django posted:

I am talking about the final re-count at the Arthur Chung Conference Center ,agreed by Granger and Jagdeo.

Granger accepted the final recount.  Why can't you?  The PPP forms the Government. Get over it. If there is an election today, the PPP will win by landslide.

R
@Django posted:

SOPS aren't full proofs for Electoral Fraud ,re-counts will prove fraud . There are procedures for statutory documents ,where they are placed. No one buys a pig in the bag ,where there are ballots in boxes and no documents to prove the validity of the number of ballots.

The 2020 Elections is the first time a detailed Election re-count took place and aired to the public ,where numerous irregularities are found . The declaration of the Elections was made from Statements of Recount , which are currently challenged in the Courts by the Elections Petition. For the 2020 Elections tallies from SOR  is the document that is Gazetted not SOPS. That's the focus presently.

I am not interested in your poor judgement of people ,there is noting to prove.

Again can you be totally honest and say which party failed to honor their copies of SOPs? The answer is no...
You can dance laka siteria all day long but it doesn’t change the fact that except for the APNU/AFC [who to this day refuse to show their winning SOPs]all contesting parties including the observers copy of SOPs matches the recount...

sachin_05
@sachin_05 posted:

Again can you be totally honest and say which party failed to honor their copies of SOPs? The answer is no...
You can dance laka siteria all day long but it doesn’t change the fact that except for the APNU/AFC [who to this day refuse to show their winning SOPs]all contesting parties including the observers copy of SOPs matches the recount...

The recount exercise wasn't just to double check which party got how many votes .  It was intended to check for irregularities and it uncovered several.  You need to understand this before just stating the obvious time after time. 

T
@sachin_05 posted:

Again can you be totally honest and say which party failed to honor their copies of SOPs? The answer is no...
You can dance laka siteria all day long but it doesn’t change the fact that except for the APNU/AFC [who to this day refuse to show their winning SOPs]all contesting parties including the observers copy of SOPs matches the recount...

@Totaram posted:

The recount exercise wasn't just to double check which party got how many votes .  It was intended to check for irregularities and it uncovered several.  You need to understand this before just stating the obvious time after time.

Some people want to hear what suits their ears . They think the re-count was to only correct Mingo clumsy attempt to fudge numbers.

Django
Last edited by Django
@Django posted:

Some people want to hear what suits their ears . They think the re-count was to only correct Mingo clumsy attempt to fudge numbers.

I am not the one in denial that the recount team found and discard  Mingo clumsy attempt to fudge numbers and give the victory to the PPP based on credibility....

sachin_05
@sachin_05 posted:

I am not the one in denial that the recount team found and discard  Mingo clumsy attempt to fudge numbers and give the victory to the PPP based on credibility....

LOL

Did you read the  Elections declaration ?  what is denied by you is the irregularities in PPP strongholds.

Django
@Django posted:

LOL

Did you read the  Elections declaration ?  what is denied by you is the irregularities in PPP strongholds.

The recount team did not find enough evidence of fraud to void the election so you need to wake up and smell the coffee....

sachin_05
Last edited by sachin_05
@Nehru posted:

Sachin, not all of Jim Jones Kool Aid drinkers dies, a few escaped and are here on GNI!!!

Wah yuh dohin here suh early in the morning. Nothing substanial to contribute to the Backdam. Suh passing time time here as an escapee from Jonestown?

S

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