The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis suggested on Saturday his administration will not provide the opposition-led Public Accounts Committee with information it has requested.

During a press conference following his trip to New York last week, Dr Minnis said on Saturday: "If it's one thing I learnt from former Prime Minister Ingraham and he said always remember that the laws you pass today you must be able to live with when you're out. When you're in be prepared to live with that when you're out. When we were in opposition, Philip 'Brave' Davis and those and quote me properly, had a policy that the PAC can only review matters that were brought forth by the auditor general. Our hands were tied we could not do anything. So if the auditor general brought nothing the PAC was functionless so tell Philip 'Brave' Davis live by the laws and rules he brought forth."

Yesterday, Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip "Brave" Davis was outraged over Dr Minnis' comments.

"That is a perverse and self-serving interpretation of an old ruling by the former speaker (of the House of Assembly). The PAC has the authority to send for any persons or papers," Mr Davis noted in a statement in response to questions from The Tribune. "The PAC decides in its own deliberate judgment what it wishes to investigate and what is relevant to its investigations. The prime minister is simply ducking and dodging. His government must and should comply forthwith with our request."

Mr Davis had complained of the administration's lack of responsiveness to PAC requests during debate on the Fiscal Responsibility Bill in Parliament last week.

"I said to them if you want to be responsible, allow the PAC to do their work and respond," he said. "I mentioned the fact that I wrote to them in September 2017 for information related to school repairs for that year because of the controversy surrounding the Stephen Dillet school. They have failed to provide the information requested."

The PAC also requested information about "how the minister of finance arrived at his deficit numbers which were contrary to the Central Bank's deficit numbers," he said. "I got a response from the Central Bank but not from the administration. Then I wrote again lately about 12 questions in August; they were not responded to."

Earlier this year, Education Minister Jeff Lloyd took a different view on the powers of the PAC, saying the body could investigate any government entity it so chooses.

Mr Lloyd said in April: "The PAC is a statutorily established committee, the most powerful in the House of Assembly. By law they are authorised to investigate any organisation or entity that is the recipient of funds from the people of this country. Whomever they want to speak to in this ministry they are welcome to do so at anytime.

"This is a government of openness, accountability and transparency. Anything ever conducted in this ministry is open for scrutiny by the representatives of the people and that is the PAC. We have nothing to hide. It doesn't matter who it is, what it is, the scope of their investigation, please come on by. No sweat, no problem.

"It is with great respect and admiration that our democracy works in the matter in which it does because it shows this is what the framers of the constitution envisioned, that there would be accountability for the public's hard earned money. Compliance is the morally and constitutionally appropriate thing to do."