We were also very interested in finding out how PUP's Julius Espat intends to engage with the Public Accounts Committee, now that he and his party are in Government.
When the PUP was in opposition, he served as PAC chairman - but it was an exercise in futility. It's the only House Committee that is chaired by the Opposition Party - with a majority from the ruling party. During his tenure, he complained bitterly that the Barrow Government's representatives tried to frustrate all attempts at accountability in public spending that the PAC could have pursued.
He was championing reforms of the way that the committee conducted its business, and yesterday, he said that he was going to stick to the recommendations he made while he was out of government:
Hon. Julius Espat - Cabinet Minister/ Former PAC Chairman
"That changes when governments change. Now, the Honorable Patrick Faber will have to appoint who he wants to be the chairman of that committee, and the prime minister will have to appoint the members from our side. I will be pushing that it become - that we have to reorganize it to have the participation of the people and depoliticize it as best as we can. I won't stray away from what we had proposed when I was there because I believe that's the way forward. So, those are the reforms that we have to be looking at these first hundred days, and that's one of the issues that I will be championing as much as I can. But yes, transparency and accountability should be our priority. I was our priority while I was in Opposition, and I believe it will still be my priority as a minister of government."
Reporter
"So, we won't have, a few years from now, some Opposition member complaining that your government, or the government that you're a part of, is trying to hide what spending is looking like."
Hon. Julius Espat
"Well, complaints from the Opposition are the norm (laughs). So, I can't tell you that won't happen. We'll try to minimize it and justify our actions as best as we can. But yes, we have to open it up to the people. And the first thing we want to do too is to make those committees be held in public. So, you decide, not a politician tells you what's happening behind closed doors. But, you'll have it open. That's the idea of having the Public Accounts Committee hearings be open to the public. So, you don't listen to my point of view or the other side's point of view. You make up your own point of view."
