Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says its plans to hold a meeting in the public domain are being frustrated.
Reports indicate that efforts to hold such a first time meeting on Wednesday (June 6) are being frowned on mainly by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Alix Boyd Knights.
She’s said to have rejected a request for use of the chamber at the parliament building on Victoria Street for the holding of the proposed public meeting.
Dominica News Online understands that Boyd-Knights has taken that stand, contending that the Public Accounts Committee does not have the right to hold such a meeting in public.
At the time of posting this story online it was still not clear whether Wednesday’s meeting would go ahead.
DNO’s been told that the Speak is expected to address the matter on Wednesday.
The members of the Public Accounts Committee include Opposition leader Hector John, political leader of the United Workers Party Edison James, Deputy Speaker Ronald Toulon and Senator Tammy Jean Jacques.
its a building for the people,why ms.knight wake up.
eddie build uwp and he is destroying it so hector start to build yours on good grounds and morals and do not follow these men
but what uwp ha e to do with that
I do not think that many of the posters here understand the nature of the meetings of the Public Accounts Committee.
This is based on the discussion of documents brought before it, at its request, by public servants.It is a slow and laborious business and is not like some US Senate Hearing or Select Committee of the House of Commons.
When she was in opposition Eugenia Charles used her findings to expose aspects of the Patrick John regime. But the process of the meetings were slow and boring. If you are going to invite spectators they may well wonder what is going on while members mumble and shift papers around.
With the public accounts committee, you do your work in closed session and then you can use whatever information that you have obtained in the public domain.
This smacks of a political gimmick to stir up some action where there is none.
Socrates, you said ”With the public accounts committee, you do your work in closed session and then you can use whatever information that you have obtained in the public domain.” Then you add ”This [the holding of the meeting of the PAC in public]smacks of a political gimmick to stir up some action where there is none.”
What’s the qualitative difference, politically?
The PAC does not have to hold the entire meeting in public. The questioning of public officers can be aired publicly so that the taxpayers can know how their taxes are being managed. U.S.congressional committees do not hold all sessions of their meeting in public. Typically, it is the questioning of taxpayer-paid public officers that are held openly where the media and members of the public are invited.
Why are we are afraid to have public servants appear in public and give an account of their stewarship of the taxpayers’ money? What’s the big secret about the use of public funds? It seems to me that many persons speak about having democracy but are afraid or reluctant to practice it even it it has to do with the condcut of public affairs.
Well go ahead and hold the meetings in public. Thats fine.
I am just saying that the nature of the work at the meetings is not much of a public spectacle.
As I wrote:”But the process of the meetings were slow and boring. If you are going to invite spectators they may well wonder what is going on while members mumble and shift papers around.”
The Public Accounts Committee must respect the confidentiality of the information made available to it until its report is submitted to Parliament. Mr James should not use the inexperience and immaturity of the Leader of the Opposition to push for such politically motivated madness. The Leader of the Opposition will be sorry when Mr James is finished with him. Just ask Blanchard, Nicholas, Lewis, Esprit, Williams and others. Ofcourse he believes that he will escape, but time will tell.
The work of the PAC was frustrated for more than two years because of the absence of the Opposition from Parliament, now see who is talking. I will be watching to see whether confidential informaton received by the PAC will be given to Talk Show Hosts in direct violation of the Rules as happened 2009.
JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE IRRESPONSIBLE NATURE OF UWP,,,,AFTER THE PAC -CHAIRED BY THE OPPOSITION LEADER NEVER MET SINCE 2000,??—AFTER BEING NEGLIGENT ON A CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY FOR SO LONG ,UWP WANT TO PUT ON A SHOW HAVING MEETING IN PUBLIC ,,,CHILDISH THINKING,,,,GET ALL SYSTEMS IN PLACE THEN LATER DOWN AT THE OPPORTUNE TIME CAN DO SO ,,,NOT SURE IF THE MANDATE COVERS THAT ANYWAY……I RATE UWP O FOR NEGLECT OF THAT SPECIFIC CONSTITUTIONAL TASK
I am EXTREMELY skeptical about this happening….
why you might ask, the people exibit no passionate desire to have accountability not transparency in the governance of their affairs…
they don’t want to know, so when the real hard questions start asking, they can continue to flash that BADGE that she so love to flash…. and CLAIM that they were innocent…. the pastors never teach us in church that DOING NOTHING in times that warrant action is just as much a sin as any action we could commit…
even moreso that the SOUTIWEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
PLI MAL PASSEY VOLEH LA..
SO WHEN “OUR” CHILDREN SUFFER AT THE HAND OF THOSE WE SOUTIWEH….. WE WHO DO NOT DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY ARE WORSE THAN THE PERPETRATORS.
we can also relate that to people who know of their children being molested, but take a payoff.
SOUTIWEHING the perp…
what a CRYING SHAME!!!!!!!!
the SHAREHOLDERS and BENEFICIARIES are all grumbling and wondering why their dividends are shrinking and the state of the economy is in shambles. YET they refuse to show any interest in the ACCOUNTING affairs. THAT IGNORANCE along with the desire for the culprits who continue to mismanage state affairs walk hand in had down the path to NO RETURNS. LOL
I knew ostriches used to bury their heads in the sand when they are scared. but for grown people to actually believe that covering their eyes and blocking their ears will make their problems disappear is straight up ………. u give it a name “childish comes to mind”
If there is nothing to hide then why do they have to hide when they are having a meeting on the public’s behalf.
What happen to Fort Young and Garraway conference rooms?
The PAC is not a private matter. It is not a UWP thing. The PAC is part and parcel of the Parliament and the governance structure of the country. Grow up, please!
My friend, these are meetings which call on public servants to produce state documents and files for scrutiny.
Such meetings are not held in a public place like a rented hall. They are held in the parliament building or some other state office. You want files to be carried through town to Fort Young or Garraway?
And what happen to The Parliament Building? Is it yours
They are playing political games,keep the the meetings in the street as they did before with the so called peoples’ parliament.
when i read comments from persons like you..i can no longer wonder why we are where are today.
Met Yo, we need to assist persons like JB fox to make a better life for himself, paying a few literacy clases would do him good
Sweetie, this is a different type of meeting. This is not the People’s parliament. Alas, Papa. I hope that you are not a sample of the population.
When was there ever a PAC meeting in the Streets? I hope that you are not a sample of the Dominican population because this will be sad news. But I think you have this mix up with the People’s parliament.
Some common proverbs come to mind….
“think before you post”
“It is better to be thought of as a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt”.
if the parliament can be broadcast live why not the public accounts committee, i have seen and witness live sessions of all the parliamentary committees of the trinidad and tobago parliament one just have to log on to ttparliament.org, it is time that the official opposition teach this woman a lesson, what sort of gabbage and how much gabbage does the official opposition have to tolerate from this politically bias speaker, its the peoples house and the persons who occupy this house were elected by the people, the opposition needs to speak to Louis Benoit to assist them as to how it was done in the seventies, this woman will never respect the opposition as long as the opposition take those things lightly, pl teach this woman a lesson
yes
Isupport that.
you hiding in new york and saying pl teach this woman a lesson?come down and teach her the lesson yourself coward
The Dominican Passport at this moment is equivalent to the contents of the gabbage bin, i will return to teach the lady when the passport has regain its status on the global stage, as for now i dont want to be embarass by US immigration.
These people need to respect themselves first before they can teach anyone a lesson. Come next election we will teach them the ultimate lesson.
I wonder, What secrets Alix wants to hide from us this time? The name of the committee is “PUBLIC ACCOUNTS” and I have a right to know about public financial transactions.
she doesn’t want use to know about her stays at the WARDOFF ASTORIA where she is “TREATED LIKE ROYALTY”
IN HER OWN WORDS I MIGHT ADD…
You mean the WALDORF-ASTORIA hotel in New York. It treats all its guests as royalty. Maybe madame speaker used to lower standards at home?
thanks for spell checking.
Dear Madam Speaker, is there anything in the accounts that can not stand public scrutiny? I admit, this may be a bit of a stunt by the opposition but we certainly need a public account of all Govt. income and expenditure. The last official Auditor’s Report we have seen is for the year 2008-2009. I’d rather you address the constitutional obligation by Govt. to present these data for public examination in a timeley fashion. Thank you.
The four hench men are at again. All they do is stir up trouble and try to cause persons to lose focus on development. Mr. John seems to be using his position as opposition leader like some boyscout thing he running in his backyard.
SATELITE, as a citizen of Dominica, wouldn’t want to know what is going on wether you are labour, uwp or freedom what do they have to hide? we want to know. this was done in previous government but this crooked one will not allow this to go on We need to demand the meeting to go on
Stop being a hypocrete.
@Satelite: do you even know who ronald toulon and tammy jean jacues are? ronald is the parl rep for Colihaut and tammy a senator, both representing the labour party, so your comment about the 4 henchmen shows just what kind of ignorant mind you have. Its no wonder according to a previous post “we are where we are”
@Satelite: I never knew the boyscouts as being a backyard thing. I feel sorry for you and if you have children, my heart bleeds for they surely can’t learn anything from you
The PAC meetings in some Commonwealth countries,including the UK are held in public.If the existing Standing Orders of the Dominica House of Assembly do not expressly permit this then the Rules should be amended to so provide.The PAC is a vital body in transparent governance and accountability and the people of Dominica should be exposed to its work and delberations.It will not lay bare issues concerning proper expenditure by the ministers and Cabinet but also demonstrate the ability and competence, or gross lack thereof, of the official Opposition.Let the people of Dominica see and hear it all.
some prominent politician once said the law is an , so too are those who uphold these stupid laws.
I concur.