Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton has written to the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, requesting that audits be conducted on the disbursement of billions of dollars for the construction of a government office complex and President Dr Irfaan Ali’s “Men on Mission” initiative. The programmes are but two of several that Norton has requested for audit.
OFFICE COMPLEX
Earlier this month, Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill found himself in the hot seat in the Committee of Supply as Opposition Parliamentarians grilled him on the expenditure of close to $7 billion dollars and at least three location changes for the government’s heavily touted “Office Complex”.
The building, projected to be four towers at 12 stories high, will now be constructed along the road that will link Ogle, on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) to the artery coming from the East Bank of Demerara (EBD). This is reportedly the third location change since the project was first announced. In 2022, the sum of $2.4 billion was allocated to begin works with a further $4.6 billion earmarked for the project last year. Budget 2024 saw the allocation of another $1 billion.
With nothing but a billboard on site at the new location, Opposition MPs quizzed the minister about the disbursements of the money with no works to show.
Norton, in his letter to Sharma, wrote: “despite significant expenditures, there is no visible progress on the construction of the office complex. This audit is necessary to ascertain the reasons for the delay and ensure transparency and accountability in the utilization of the allocated funds”.
MEN ON MISSION
The Men On Mission (MoM), also dubbed “1000 Men project” is the brainchild of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali as part of his “One Guyana” initiative.
MoM incudes men from all sections of society collaborating to resolve issues in their communities through advocacy, mentorship, social work including construction of homes for the elderly, clean-up campaigns among other activities. More importantly, the initiative aims to tackle toxic masculinity and create a positive environment and safe space for men, promoting integrity, productivity and accountability and character- building.
The organisation built some 50 homes for poor families last year from its $500M allocation. The body received a similar amount in 2024, taking the total allocation since 2023 to $1 billion.
Norton informed Sharma that the request for audit is to ensure that the allocated funds were spent in compliance with the existing financial regulations.
The Opposition Leader is also calling for the auditing of cash grant distributions.
“Many persons have expressed concern regarding the distribution of cash grants. They have noted the arbitrary manner in which they were allocated and the absence of a proper paper trail since they are delivered in cash. In the circumstance, it is imperative that the criteria used for the distribution of these grants be ascertained, and that the list of recipients be verified to confirm that they indeed met the established criteria,” Norton wrote.
He said that such an audit is crucial to determine whether the distribution process was fair, equitable, transparent, accountable and undertaken in accordance with the law.
In addition, a request is also being made for the audit of project codes 1302200 Community Infrastructure Improvement Project and 1904300 – Regional Economic
Transformation which is executed under the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.
Norton also asked the Audit General to launch an audit to investigate the criteria for awarding grants under the SLED Programme, which is part of the Regional Economic Transformation project.
“The objective is to determine whether those selected were done based on a fair, transparent and accountable process. The selection process is vital in determining if taxpayer’s money was allocated in a fair, effective and efficient manner,” Norton said.
He also requested an audit of the Small Business Development Fund under the Ministry of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce.
In his conclusion, Norton penned: “The sole purpose of these requests is to promote accountability and transparency in our society, particularly in the management of public finances. As you are no doubt aware, the Audit Office has a critical role to play in safeguarding taxpayer’s funds and ensuring that they are spent prudently and in accordance with the law. The Opposition trust that your office will give due consideration to our requests and take appropriate action to address these concerns.”
