Gov’t fully supports work of Audit Office – Dr Gopaul

Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul

Government fully supports the work of the Guyana Audit Office and has accordingly supported efforts to enhance transparency in public accounting and spending of taxpayers’ dollars, Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul told a staff conference of the AG office earlier this week.
He noted that over the years, government has made significant strides in improving the conditions at the Audit Office to better facilitate the smooth flow of work and transparency.
“The autonomy the Audit Office has in Guyana is comparable speaking second to none in any part of the Caribbean, and even when you look at the Commonwealth; you may find very few have that degree of autonomy. Additionally, the auditor general’s independence is preserved in the Constitution of Guyana, so much so he is answerable to absolutely no one. In his functioning, he is under the control of no one and that must be seen as a sign of a healthy democracy,” the minister posited.
Dr Gopaul noted that the fruit of this has been timely, consistent and meaningful reports from the Office of the Auditor General over the past two decades, as opposed to reports reflecting years of no audits. The minister noted that the auditor general’s recent reports have been criticised for not being insightful and examining, issues thoroughly.
“A few critics, who will want to find faults and bore holes in the audit reports and who want to question the independence and the integrity of these reports… Perhaps, these critics would like to see a report not based on facts and evidence, but being critical for criticism sake… We can never satisfy everyone, but we work based on our professionalism, integrity and issues that we have to deal with consistent with the nature of our jobs. Once you pursue your tasks in that diligent and professional way, even though criticisms will come your way from time to time, at the end, you will see the results,” he emphasised.

Remain focused
He urged the staff not to be distracted by negativity because the fact that the auditor general’s report is attracting so much attention, means it is purposeful.
“You must continue to strive for excellence and improve what you are doing. I am pleased with what I am hearing that more forensic audits will be done, contracts will be examined and this government supports aspects of work that will make the system as transparent as possible and that will weed out corruption as far as possible. In no system around the world can you can say that there is no corruption, and I’ll be the last to say that we don’t have corrupt practices in the public service, but as far as is possible, the Audit Office is playing its part in working to eliminate areas that can give cause for concern and areas that need improvement…”
He also dismissed speculations that the current auditor general, Deodat Sharma is unqualified for his post, noting that Sharma meets the job requirements and brings a wealth of experience to the table.