Holness affirms lawmakers’ right to grill auditor general
Published:Wednesday | May 26, 2021 | 12:13 AM
Days after public outrage over the line of inquisition by several government members on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Juliet Holness defended the right of lawmakers to hold the Auditor General’s Department (AuGD) to account in order to preserve parliamentary oversight.
Her remarks resonated with Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis, who told the committee on Tuesday that instructions to her staff were to be like “Caesar’s wife” – without suspicion.
Monroe Ellis had told committee members last week that her department had nothing to hide and was answerable to the people of Jamaica.
“I was not asked to come before the PAC. I contacted you, Mr Chairman, because I believe I am answerable to the people of Jamaica,” the auditor general had said.
Before the committee discussed the agenda items on Tuesday, Holness said that it was important that matters regarding examination of issues be contextualised “in order that recent events can be seen through the appropriate lenses, thus ensuring that the people of Jamaica are neither misled nor disillusioned”.
BEACON OF PRUDENCE
Member of parliament for St Andrew East Rural, Holness said that although the AuGD had developed a reputation as the beacon of prudence in government affairs, “we who sit in this Parliament must ensure that the people’s business is given the highest regard, supported by due process and the most stringent standards of probity”.
Holness continued: “Much has been said recently in these chambers, and I wish to ensure that the public understands that at the end of the day, our ultimate aim is not to weaken the office of the auditor general, but to ensure that it is strengthened.”
Those comments appeared to be pushback against a torrent of criticism - including from former Jamaica Labour Party president and prime minister, Bruce Golding – against first-time lawmakers Robert Miller and Dwight Sibblies, as well as sophomore Heroy Clarke, who pressed Monroe Ellis on matters related to an exit interview her department conducted with auditors from the Ministry of Finance in 2020.
Last week, Miller, a government lawmaker, urged Monroe Ellis to disclose the name of a reporter she spoke with about the date of the exit interview.
Monroe Ellis declared that she would not divulge the name of any person in keeping with the custom of her department at meetings of the PAC.
Committee member Dr Morais Guy later shut down the question as he enquired about its probative value. Committee Chairman Julian Robinson also said he would not require the auditor general to disclose the name of any reporter during the deliberations.
Last week, the auditor general was also chided by Heroy Clarke for not being able to say at the time why she missed the exit interview on January 29, 2020.
During Tuesday’s committee meeting, the matters flagged by the internal audit unit of the Ministry of Finance were quickly dispensed with as explanations were provided in response to the issues highlighted.