At today’s Senate Special Select meeting, Business Senator Kevin Herrera praised the government’s efforts to grow the economy, noting an eight-point-two percent increase in GDP and a thirteen percent rise in annual revenue compared to the previous year. But he says that’s not enough. Herrera is now calling on the government to follow through on its promises of good governance and transparency. He stressed the need for accurate financial reporting and criticized the administration for failing to produce audited government accounts since 2014. “It’s time we match economic growth with accountability,” Herrera said.
Kevin Herrera, Business Senator
“The accounting for government and the responsibility for this lies with the government and in particular, with the Ministry if Finance. This is the Prime Minister’s Ministry and so he bears responsibility for this. There cannot be any audits unless accounts are presented. And we know that the accounts are not being presented; they are nine years late. This continues, Madam President, to be a major violation of the finance and auditory format, which requires yearly and timely audits. So every year, there are no audits submitted, and every year, there are no accounts submitted. It continues to violate what we fought so hard for in 2005. When we did the finance and auditory reform, along with the unions, along with civil society, and the then-current administration.”
