PAC to Reconvene After Abrupt Adjournment Over Preparation Concerns

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Antigua and Barbuda’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will meet again on 10 July following a disrupted first sitting marked by complaints over late documentation and procedural confusion.

Wednesday’s session, chaired by Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle, ended prematurely when members raised concerns over an unexpected agenda circulated just hours before the meeting.

Government MPs Melford Nicholas, Anthony Smith Jr., Daryll Matthew, and Barbuda MP Trevor Walker said the last-minute changes hindered their ability to effectively review public spending. Director of Audit Dean Evanson also admitted receiving the revised agenda only that morning.

Matthew challenged the Director over the timing, warning it undermined proper scrutiny. Evanson acknowledged the tight timeline, noting the meeting could have run into the evening had all agenda items been discussed.

Walker also stressed the importance of receiving printed financial statements and audit reports to support informed decision-making.

Further complications arose over the committee’s operational rules. Nicholas and Matthew argued that the PAC’s procedures—submitted to Parliament in July 2024—should first have been reviewed by a special committee before formal adoption.

The PAC is constitutionally mandated to hold the government accountable for public finances but has faced ongoing challenges with scheduling and quorum.

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9 COMMENTS

  1. Inexcusable for the government to be unprepared. ALP has access to the books and records. They should be prepared to account for their mismanagement and corruption.

  2. Poor Pringle. He is way out of his league. The puppet who Giselle hopes will be PM, so she can run things behind the scene. This country is so divided but surely diehard UPPites must see the light. Jeez. This is a farce and an embarrassment.

  3. When will Pringle stop being a "baby daddy" and become a HUSBAND??? Ms. Reid don't let him fool you any longer!!! When will Pringle stop being a "baby daddy" and become a HUSBAND??? Ms. Reid don't let him fool you any longer!!!

    At least Pringle admitted this morning to the RAG-TAG HYPOCRITE that he accepts responsibility for changing the agenda last minute.

    Still doesn’t mean that he is capable of understanding shit, but hey! He showed up for another pappyshow moment

  4. Bunch of clowns who can’t read or interpret what is written. Pringle came woefully unprepared and uninformed. He changed agendas last minute; he failed to request documents in a timely manner; the man is a square peg in a round hole.

    This is who the UPP has thrown all its political eggs behind to Lead us if the people are silly enough to elect him as our PM?

    Antiguans can we all agree, we deserve better and Pringle nor Harold is it.

  5. WHAT THE HELL…! …MOCKERY OF A MEETING: …DISCARDED MOCK AGENDA: …TOLD READERS SO:

    ***

    FIRST TO POINT OUT TO READERS THAT THE ‘…AGENDA PREPARED BY THE ‘…PARLIAMENTARY-APPOINTED PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE (PAC) CHAIRMAN: was

    (a) ‘…OUTSIDE THE REALM AND REMIT OF ‘…PAC: that

    (b) …IT WAS NOT IN CONFORMITY WITH THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS: as

    (c) …CONTAINED IN SECTIONS ’97 AND 98’ [CO: 1981]:

    ***

    SOME MEMBERS WITHIN THE ‘…LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER,’ WHEN IDENTIFIED BY THE ‘…HOUSE SPEAKER AS MEMBER: for

    (a) ‘…THIS:

    (b) …THAT: and

    THITHER,’ THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE NOT ‘…PARLIAMENTARIANS.’

    (i) ‘…CONSTITUENCY REPRESENTATIVES: than

    (ii) …PARLIAMENTARIANS STILL BELIEVE THAT IN ‘..PARLIAMENT

    ***
    PAC AGENDA v POLITICAL AGENDA: …FORCED TO AMEND
    ***

    THAT WHICH THE NEWS NEVER DISCLOSED WAS THAT MEMBERS OF ‘PAC’ WAS FORCED TO MAKE AMENDMENTS TO THE CLEARLY ‘…POLITICAL AGENDA.’

    ***

    NEWS STORY: …PARAGRAPHS: 2 AND 3:

    ***

    EVEN THIS NEWS STORY SPEAKS: to

    (i) ‘… A REPORTER’S MINDSET: as well as

    (ii) …A NON-PARLIAMENTARIAN MINDSET:

    ***

    THIS IS HOW THE ‘REPORTER’ HAS IT:

    (a) ‘…WEDNESDAY’S SESSION WAS CHAIRED BY OPPOSITION LEADER JAMALE PRINGLE…..: and

    (b) …GOVERNMENT MP’S: MELFORD NICHOLAS: …DARYL MATTHEW: …ANTHONY SMITH JR: … BARBUDA MP, TREVOR WALKER’ ……’

    ***
    THE ‘…CONSTITUTION ORDER [CO: 1981: Section 98] RECOGNIZES THEM COLLECTIVELY: as
    (i) ‘…MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE: as well as when
    (ii) ‘…PARLIAMENTARILY APPOINTED TO THE ‘…PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE (PAC).’

    ***

    EACH IS A MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENTARY-APPOINTED COMMITTEE: and not

    (a) ‘…REPRESENTATIVES OF CONSTITUENCIES: nor

    (b) …POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS.’

    ***

    MEETINGS OF MOCKERY AND DISRUPTION:

    IN AVOIDING ‘…MEETINGS OF MOCKERY AND DISRUPTION,’ THERE SHALL BE:

    (a) ‘…A CHANGE OF MINDSET: as well as

    (b) …FAMILIARITY WITH THE PROVISIONS GOVERNING ‘…PAC.’

    ***

    WHAT THE HELL…!

    ***

    READ SECTIONS ‘…97 AND 98’ [CO: 1981].

    ***

  6. Roman balckie stile empire game….the same as rhe sky and blood colour (without vaccine) are eager for your distractions (a.k.a sheeps attention) focus in what’s is going on around you,forget or not pay attention to this scumbags. They are vultures and get they rotten fest from your pockets.

  7. You mean to tell me that the same Pringle that walks out of Parliament when he has not been given sufficient time to read a study a bill will now send out an agenda at the last minute not giving the other member enough time to read and study? You see how things are when the shoe is on the other foot. Pringle is inept in chairing a meeting of this kind. I hope he studied the terms of reference of the PAC. Because I don’t really understand why he invited the public to come and watch.

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