APNU+AFC Member of Parliament and incoming Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, David Patterson has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly again, expressing his frustration over the Speaker’s inaction in convening the meetings of the parliamentary committees.

In the letter to Speaker Manzoor Nadir, Mr. Patterson accused the Speaker of failing to uphold his duty to summon the first meeting of the Public Accounts Committee to ensure it is constitutionally established.

He reminded that he has written to the Speaker on at least five other occasions calling on him to discharge his duties to convene the first meeting of the Public Accounts Committee.

“It is unacceptable to have the Parliament convened at great expense to the citizens, and not use this opportunity to convene committee meetings. It is disrespectful to the Members and a disservice to the country. As such, we do not see any benefit in attending a parliamentary session, which does not take the opportunity, to reestablish our Assembly on a firm footing”, Mr. Patterson wrote.

With a Parliamentary sitting set for tomorrow, Mr. Patterson is calling on the Speaker to suspend the standing orders and operationalize the parliamentary committees.

He said the Opposition Members are prepared and ready to attend the convening of any meeting of the Public Accounts Committee.

The Speaker was quoted in the Stabroek News recently as saying he did not call the meetings of the parliamentary committees because of scheduling conflicts. But Members from both sides of the House have reported that they were never contacted about any meeting or plan to meet.

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