BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOLLOWING months of rambling between the Team Unity Administration and the Opposition St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party over the absence of a Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Government is now taking steps to have the body installed.
The disclosure of the establishment of the Committee came during today’s (May 23) sitting of the National Assembly by Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, who explained that with the Government’s commitment to accountability and full transparency, they would want to move to establish that body.
Dr. Harris noted that a letter was sent to the Opposition for their members to be nominated.
“Accordingly, we can report that I have written to the Leader of the Opposition for him to propose two nominees to be part of a five-member Public Accounts Committee. The Government has already nominated three members, so we therefore await the nomination from the Opposition – one of whom will be the Chairperson of this Committee.”
The PAC is described as the watchdog of government spending and it often scrutinizes public spending by a country’s Administration.
The Prime Minister noted that although there is no legal requirement, his Cabinet had determined “they would give the privilege to the Leader of the Opposition to nominate someone to chair the Public Accounts Committee”.
Further, Dr. Harris stated that once received, he as the Minister of Finance would bring the appropriate resolution to the House for approval.
“My Government intends to have a fresh start and a functioning of this extremely important committee. Unfortunately, however, there is little guide to the activation of this process as there has been no history, no history of a functioning Public Accounts Committee in St. Kitts and Nevis.”
PM Harris declared that there have been no identifiable records of a Public Accounts Committee “ever functioning in St. Kitts and Nevis. In fact, the Clerk of the Parliament has been unable to find or recall any Public Accounts Committee report that has been submitted to the National Assembly”.
He noted that those on the Government’s side of the House intend to correct the regrettable situation and bring legislation “that would provide a better legislation that would provide a better framework in which the Public Accounts Committee will operate in the future”.
