St Kitts and Nevis: PAC commissioned – but opposition decries ‘watering down’

The “historic” Public Accounts Committee Bill has been passed in St Kitts and Nevis following two days of debate in parliament.

Despite the opposition St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) objecting to the bill, it was passed with strong support from the Team Unity administration.

Speaking at the end of Friday’s session, Prime Minister Timothy Harris said: “We are advancing the role of oversight of the government, and as the accountant general says, the tabling of the Public Accounts Committee Bill is quite a timely and important legislative initiative of the government of St Kitts and Nevis.

Harris added that a functioning Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a “critical missing link” for public accountability in the federation.

The SKNLP are supportive of a PAC being established but did not support the bill, instead describing it was a watered down version of what preceded it.

Speaking about the legislation in front of the house, SKNLP leader and former prime minister Denzil Douglas said the committee’s role would be “very limited” in its responsibilities.

“Very limited in terms of those who can appear before it, and Mr Speaker if you want to go through this piece of legislation, you would realise from the very beginning that something is really wrong with it.”

‘Hits the mark’

Under the new legislation, the PAC will examine the Director of Audit’s report, and speak to the parliament on any matters relating to it.

The committee is also expected to follow-up on any matter in the report that the National Assembly want further information on, reporting back to MPs.

Sitings of the PAC will be held in private, with findings keep secret unless witnesses give permission for evidence to be released.

Vance Amory, the minister responsible for labour in the federal government, said that measures have been built in to the Public Accounts Committee Bill 2017 to protect any civil servant who is called upon to give testimony on any matter.

“It is to say to them if you have been a responsible public servant and you have information which could help clear up any concern you [can] come and provide it.”

Mark Brantley, minister of foreign affairs and civil aviation, said the tabling of the Public Accounts Committee Bill represents a historic period for the country.

“Today we take a giant leap forward in terms of transparency and good governance; a giant leap forward.”

The bill is “well intended, it is well meaning and it hits the mark,” he added.

Efforts to ‘frustrate’ PAC

The SKNLP leader, speaking in Parliament, used his 80-minute presentation to decry the “willful and undemocratic efforts of the Timothy Harris-led administration to remove the broad powers” of the PAC.

In a statement from the party, they criticised the government for relaxing Bradshaw’s Accounts Committee Law, which has been in place since at least 1961, with something that they feel lacks the same power.

“The PAM/CCM/PLP government has finally taken to the parliament to water down the powers of the committee so as to render it completely ineffective as a watch dog over government spending and a disinfectant for public corruption,” the SKNLP said.

They added: “The opposition parliamentarians took the government to serious task and dealt heavy blows on its attempts to provide a platform for the growth of already rampant public corruption, to facilitate the lack of transparency and to undermine the practice of good governance.”