President vows to continue Youth Initiative programme
by Sharon Lall
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday defended the Youth Initiative programme against criticism by the opposition and vowed that it will continue way past national elections due by January 17.
"Many people from the opposition are worried about the political impact of the Youth Initiative. People say to me why wasn't this initiative started years ago", he said at a news conference yesterday.
"I have been President of Guyana only 15 months now. I couldn't start it four years ago and I feel strongly about it."
"Anything we do for young people in this country (someone) always tries to run it down. It will not happen.
"The programme will continue way past the elections because I feel that young people have a right to the resources of this country," he declared at the briefing at the Office of the President, Georgetown.
Mr Jagdeo dismissed recent suggestions that funds from the lottery had illegally been used for the President's Youth Initiative scheme and stressed that every cent spent from Lotto was done in accordance with the laws of Guyana.
He said he contacted Auditor General, Mr Anand Goolsarran on Tuesday after an article in a newspaper about the auditing of the Lotto resources.
Goolsarran reported that he did not speak with the press but had referred them to his 1998 report given to the National Assembly on the auditing of monies from Lotto.
The President yesterday circulated the Lotteries Act of Guyana Chapter 80:07 and the agreement with the Lottery Committee to back his statement that everything was above board with spending the Lotto funds.
"Everything that was done (and) every cent that was spent was spent in accordance with the law of this country (and) in accordance with the lotteries act," he maintained.
"I want every cent of the money audited by the Auditor General's Office and that will happen and he (Goolsarran) has assured me that he will do so."
The President, in his discussions with Goolsarran, said he quoted the Lotteries Act which stated: "At the end of each financial year, there shall be paid into the Development Fund of Guyana, after allowing for all expenses and the amount reserved for prizes, the amount standing to the credit of the Government Lotteries Account."
"It doesn't say that the money has to be paid into the Consolidated Fund...", the President noted, refuting the newspaper claim that disbursement of lotto proceeds had to be approved by Parliament.
"The (Lottery) Agreement was conducted in accordance with the laws of Guyana...There was no illegality in this regard," the President said.
Mr Jagdeo said he does not have any qualm about using the Financial Administration and Audit Act to govern the lottery provisions or resources garnered from Lotto.
"From the time the lottery started in Guyana in the '70s the money was never paid into the Consolidate Fund...only now people are saying that the money should go into the Consolidated Fund," he noted.
The government had nothing to hide, he declared, adding that he did not have a problem with the Lotto funds being subject to appropriation by Parliament.
After meeting Goolsarran, the President said he noticed that Ministerial Advisor on Empowerment, Mr Odinga Lumumba had reportedly spoken about Goolsarran having misinterpreted the law.
"I asked Mr Lumumba to apologise to the Auditor General...and he has done so. No employee of the government would be disrespectful to the office of the Auditor General...", he said.
"He (Lumumba) has sent a letter of apology to the Auditor General...Any employee of this government would have to comply with government financial regulation. If I find that there is any wrongdoing then that person will face all the penalties provided by law in this country," President Jagdeo warned.
He continued: "For the last years, we have been spending the Lotto resources...since 1996 in the same way...there wasn't any problem then...suddenly it has become a big political issue.
"I am very disturbed because I think it's not the Lotto funds that's the matter...it's the Youth Initiative. That is the problem", he stated.
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