A Tale of Two PAC Reports

Patrick Faber

The Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat, is putting together separate reports to be presented before the National Assembly in the coming weeks.  While a single document was expected to be submitted as a final copy, a difference of opinion over details contained within the chairman’s report has prompted a second version.  According to Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber, who also sits on the committee, after reading Espat’s account he could not endorse the information.  As a result, other members who represent government have collectively decided to prepare what is being called a majority report.

Patrick Faber, Acting Prime Minister

“What ought to have happened was that a report should have been generated reflecting what those meetings detailed.  Instead, the chairman chose to write a report that was more in line with what he wanted to see and that was our problem.  I’m understanding that he went on record to say that I showed up to the meeting not reading the report which is completely and absolutely untrue.  In fact, it was because I read the report that I was not able to support him in passing that report as the majority report.  You will understand that this is a peculiar committee; it is the only one that the opposition chairs and that is why Honorable Espat is the chair.  But that does not stop the government from having the majority on this committee and so the government members felt that the report that was generated by the chairman did not adequately cover what the deliberations of the various meetings were and so we said to him that we could not support that report and that in fact we would be working our own report.”