Mout’ open…

…on Govt audits

It could be just a matter of serendipity…but more folks would probably say “there is a God!!” Your Eyewitness is referring, of course, to the Muckraker finally accepting (and publishing!!) that the audit from the number one crusader for “transparency” – Chris Ram – was fatally flawed. For what? Lack of transparency!!! And in the same edition the Muckraker carries the umpteenth plea from David Hinds of the WPA – the accusation that the Government is dragging its feet on taking action (read “jailing”) against all the malfeasors – all PPP, of course.

Well, now Hinds and all those wondering why there haven’t been more prosecutions for bilking (and “siphoning”) billions and billions of dollars from the national treasury – as most of the ones given the task of conducting the audits claimed – have been offered ONE reason. THE AUDITS WERE GAMED TO BEGIN WITH!!!! Take the revelation trumpeted by the Muckraker: Chris Ram was given the lucrative contract (part of the $153 million doled out!) to examine the books of the GNBA.

Ram, however, failed to reveal one crucial fact – that one of his clients was the Stabber News which was one of the major players in the direct broadcasting arena!! So – surprise! surprise! – Ram didn’t even mention SN in his “audit” and, therefore, most pertinently that the outfit avowed a whopping $25M!!! Now if a “big man” like Ram can play so fast and loose with his professional credentials and standards, imagine how low that nonentity vying for his 15 minutes in the limelight – Goolsarran— would sink!!

Maybe folks would now revisit Brassington’s exhaustive comments on Goolsarran’s “audit” of NICIL – none of which were incorporated in the “final” release. Not even in a footnote though Goolsarran requested and received the comments!! Any impartial reviewer would conclude after reading both documents that Goolsarran was conducting a hatchet job on Brassington. But why should anyone be surprised? Didn’t Goolsarran and Ram – not to mention the Muckraker – use Brassington as a punching bag for years?

The question that should now be asked, is why did the Government give these accountants contracts to audit firms and Government departments they’d been criticising for years? Isn’t such a selection process “outcome determinative”?? What did anyone expect these auditors to do? Reveal findings that showed they were full of it all along?

From the Chris Ram revelation, we can now understand the government’s coyness when it comes to charging anyone. Imagine the only persons before the court was because of a PPP official highlighting some discrepancies!

What we need is an audit of the audits!! But to prevent an infinite regression of audits, let’s bring in some foreigners.

…and paddy selling?

A year ago, PM Nagamootoo assured beleaguered rice farmers – reeling from the loss of the 200,000 tonne Venezuelan RICE market – he’d secured new markets from Mexico. He reminded salivating farmers Mexico imports 1 MILLION tonnes of rice annually! Nagamootoo was so persuasive, the Mexicans presumably overlooked their NAFTA commitments to the USA – their major supplier – to “fast track” the necessary approval.

Well, your Eyewitness then hoped local farmers didn’t hold their breath. Because we were just informed that “PHYTOSANITARY certification” is still being “pursued”! But somehow everyone in governmental circles still ignores Mexico’s insistence that its eventual goal is not to find markets for our rice, but to “begin the commercialisation” of our production.

So what’s “commercialisation” of rice?? Well, that’s grist for another mill – or another Eyewitness exposé! But basically it’s just about advising us to get our (production) act together, domestically.

But isn’t this what GRDB was supposed to do with its annual $500M levy on rice exports?

…on delegating power

Your Eyewitness hopes Town Clerk King noted how graciously Prezzie passed his mace to PM Nagamootoo. And Minister of State Harmon didn’t boorishly deny him the privileges of the Presidency.

See how President Moses glowed when he met business leaders? Now could Sherod Duncan at least get one guard?