Joint Public Accounts Committee on Hold as New Briceño Admin Still hasn’t conducted a House Meeting

With no House Meeting conducted since the elections, a critical standing committee of the House, the Joint Public Accounts Committee (JPAC), is currently not functioning. The JPAC is an important check and balance system for the government, which examines public spending. According to the standing orders, the Speaker of the House should choose a Committee of Selection at the first business sitting of the House following a general election. That selection committee would then choose members for all the standing committees of the House. Opposition Leader Tracy Taegar Panton says that the JPAC needs to resume its functions as soon as possible to ensure accountability to the public. 

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition: “In the last term of office, the last term of parliament but once parliament dissolves that is reconfigured and again it requires a first meeting of the National Assembly for determination to be made.”

Reporter: But okay in terms of you now leading the opposition, is this perhaps an area where you will focus more on as the LOTO ?

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition: “The Opposition has always been diligent about what has been spent and not but we do need to look at the estimates. We need to understand where we are. You know not only in terms of our current expenditure but also where we are in terms of programs and initiatives that are considered priority by the government. We can ensure that the checks and balances and some discussion as to what those priorities should be. We are aware that even though the government has a super majority they will have their way but the opposition must have a say and the Belizean people more importantly need to be made aware of what this all entails and how these decisions affect their daily lives and their livelihoods. I keep saying that we need to bring the people back into politics, it seems that we have strayed very far away from that where the policy makers make the decision without any consultation or inputs from the Belizean people and certainly under my leadership in the opposition we are going to try and reverse that reality because at the end of the day we are here to serve the people and not to be served by the people.”

To ensure greater transparency, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is chosen from among Members who do not support the Government.