The allocations advanced from the Contingencies Fund on the D’Urban Park Project generated a lively back and forth in the National Assembly on Monday when Opposition members of Parliament questioned the almost half a billion dollars used on the facility.
Aerial view of the D’Urban Park Project
It was recalled that back in April, when the project was handed over to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, there was a public pronouncement that it would have only required an additional $150 million to be completed.
Substantive Minister David Patterson told the House that while this is true, when the Ministry assumed responsibility of the project, the scope of works was widened.
He said the $150 million is included in the $406 million that was advanced for the completion of the D’Urban Park Project.
Patterson told the House that the ministry had in fact prequalified 16 contractors to finish the project—all of whom have since been paid in full.
He said the D’Urban Park project will shortly be handed over to the Ministry of Communities which will also assume responsibility for the annual maintenance of the facility, along with utilities and security.
Countering the arguments that the activity could not have been urgent and unforeseen, Minister Patterson reminded that it was only in April that the project was transferred to his ministry and as such there was no allocation made in the original Budget for 2016.
Farcical proceedings
Throughout the course of the consideration of the $931 million advanced from the Contingency Fund, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo could be repeatedly overheard calling the proceedings ‘a farce.’
The constitutionality of the expenditures was also routinely questioned by former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, and other PPP/C MPs who were of the view that government’s resort to the Contingency Fund to make the advances is in fact unlawful.
The advances were nonetheless approved by Government using its majority vote in House.
The House also considered and approved $2 billion to be used from the Consolidated Fund, in order to meet varying expenditures related to Parliament Office, the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry, the newly Gazetted Ministry of Public Telecommunications, the Public Health Ministry, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Guyana Defence Force and the Ministry of Public Security, among others.
Among the allocations for which clarity was sought was $69 million sought for the National Assembly, inclusive of which is a $20 millon allotment for overseas conferences and seminars for MPs and staff as well as monies to pay for telephone and internet charges for MPs.
The amounts sought on the Financial Paper 2/2016 according to Finance Minister Winston Jordan, is for monies not yet spent.
He was at the time responding to former Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, who queried additional funds being sought for the hosting of Heritage Month activities, slated to commence in a matter of days.
Internet
Sukhai observed that the money was being sought just days before the month of activities and suggested bad planning on the part of the Minister and Indigenous Affairs Sidney Allicock.
He told the House that there has been an increased level of request for Indigenous Peoples wanting to take part in the 2016 activities.
Public Telecommunications Minister Catherine Hughes was also questioned on an $88.7 million allocation for the provision of Internet and services, and she explained that this was undertaken since the failed fibre optic cable could not be used.
She told the House that the expenditure is considered as sustainable since all government agencies will be urged to utilise the service. She said too that $18 million of that allocation will be used to set up a pilot programme for the provision of internet services to hinterland communities—traditionally unserved by Internet Service Providers (ISP).
Ministerial advisers
Other allocations approved for that ministry included monies for the security of a number of LTE Sites which forms part of the infrastructure for the administration’s eGovernance project.
Rental of buildings and DHL charges were also catered for under the supplementary being requested in addition to amounts for equipment maintenance, utility charges and salaries for ministerial advisors and a consultant.
The Ministerial Advisors were identified as Journalist, ICT Enrico Woolford, Lance Hinds and Attorney Geeta Raghubir, each at a salary of $530,000 per month in addition to other benefits including vacation time.
The minister told the House that the consultant is yet to be hired and that this person would be employed to conduct negotiations with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) since the full liberalisation of the sector, essentially breaking the longstanding monopoly is yet to obtain.
$500M
The settlement with BK International and Puran Brothers jointly over the management of the Haags Bosh Landfill, also attracted the attention of MPs.
Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan informed the House that the total settlement $1.7 billion—is to be paid to the entities as a joint venture and as such there was no breakdown of how the money would be divided between the two.
The initial claim made by the Joint Venture, according to Bulkan, was for almost double the amount agreed on as a settlement.
Attorney General Basil Williams told the House that the issue was one inherited from the previous administration. His predecessor, Anil Nandlall, was adamant that the payments should not have been made since the matter has since been appealed in court.
Nandlall asked: “why did they proceed to settle the matter without the hearing and determination of their own appeal.”
Williams replied it “is because of the mess that was left by the last government.”
Communities Minister Bulkan, in an effort to provide clarity, said the administration felt that to wait, the sum that would have had to be paid would have been more than the settlement agreed to by the government.
