Transparency, accountability trademarks of Public Procurement Commission – President Ali

– as new members sworn in

With government embarking on a transformative development trajectory, His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali said transparency and accountability must be new trademarks of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC).

 Four of the five new members of the commission were sworn in at the Office of the President by Dr. Ali on Friday. The new team will serve for three years. The members are Joel Bhagwandin, Rajnarine Singh, Dianna Rajcumar and Berkley Wickham. The fifth member, Pauline Ann Cleopatra Chase will be sworn in at a later date, as she is out of the jurisdiction.

President Ali said important to government’s transformative agenda is ensuring that institutional mechanisms and systems that allow public expenditure to occur are strong and continually renewed.

“The job of the Public Procurement Commission is one that adds to that tier of institutional mechanism that we have established as a country, to ensure oversight of public financing, in this case oversight of procurement, so that whatever we do falls under the umbrella of transparent, democratic and open governance,” President Ali stated.

The Head of State stressed that the role and responsibility of the PPC could not be understated, highlighting the specific skillset required by members of the commission.

The President said he is confident that the combined experience, knowledge and diverse expertise will build a stronger framework to transform and develop the country.

“The task of building Guyana requires institutions that can withstand the diverse views of the public, but more importantly, that is grounded in the principles that is expected to be executed from the commissioners themselves. Your work is a work that requires a collective effort, it requires constructive thinking in advancing the mandate. So, I congratulate you, I wish you well, and I am sure with your collective effort, our country and our governance systems will continue to improve, and deliver better and better for the people of our country,” Dr. Ali said.

Guyana has been without a PPC since October 2019, when the life of the previous commission expired. The commission is a critical body which is constitutionally responsible for oversight of the public procurement of all goods and services, along with the monitoring of infrastructural works to ensure that they conform to the relevant laws and guidelines.

President Ali also used the occasion to swear in the final member of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Hakeem Mohamed. Three of the four members were sworn in on May 31.

He said members of Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and Judicial Service Commission (JSC) will soon be appointed. Dr. Ali said government is hoping that the final set of recommendations could be made in the shortest possible timeframe so that all the constitutional commissions could be in operation.

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall SC, MP and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira MP, were also present at the simple ceremony.