`Dolphin scam’ was certainly not serious enough to cause an Auditor General to flee for his life
It is a damning indictment of the PNC administrations 1980-1992 that the Deputy Auditor General for 21 of those months, Anand Goolsarran can explain the absence of audited accounts by simply saying “The fact is that the Government did not submit draft financial statements to the Auditor General. Therefore, in the absence of these statements, there could not have been audited accounts”. Interestingly, it was during this period that Goolsarran was promoted from deputy to the top job which he accepted with full knowledge that there would be no audits to perform, it is here is where one can ask how many years it takes to decide that you are being paid from the public purse for doing nothing and on top of that ‘earning’ a promotion.
Goolsarran’s letter provides an interesting synopsis of his career and a snapshot of that period of Guyana’s history as we transitioned from decades of dictatorship to democracy; from being classified as a heavily indebted poor country (HIPIC) subject to IMF monetary regimes to exiting HIPIC in 2006.
As Auditor General, Goolsarran was interested in earning a better salary; President Cheddi Jagan referred to officials who earned more than USD 5000 per month in the public service as ‘super salaried’; there were other public officials who were paid US dollar salaries under loan programmes - the Finance Sector Programme 956 and the Public Sector Technical Assistance Credit 3726. These included Winston Jordan, Winston Brassington and, Khurshid Sattaur; it is to these ranks that Goolsarran aspired. Jagdeo declined his request on ethical grounds, at the time, local commentator Lallbachan ‘Chris’ Ram said “How can they borrow to pay some privileged elite and not pay the ordinary employees?”. Goolsarran subsequently got an offer while representing Guyana at an international conference and, the government facilitated a six-month leave period that allowed Goolsarran to earn commensurate with his qualifications and experience; in the end, Goolsarran was gone for four years.
The Guyana Goolsarran returned to in 2004 was a vastly different place, we were no longer a country where paint was only available in white, Guyana was progressing economically to the point where we would exit the HIPIC classification and corresponding IMF regime in 2006. Goolsarran says “Four months later, I demitted office, following the Government’s reaction to the “dolphin scam” (Stabroek News 19.10.23.) In other places Goolsarran states that he delivered the Audit report on the 31st December 2004 and left the country that night and stayed away in fear for his life. The attempt to export dolphins and other protected species through waiver or special permit was indeed a scandalous affair, good for a round of laughter in Georgetown circles but certainly not serious enough to cause an Auditor General to flee for his life.
Goolsarran’s next incarnation was as a transparency advocate, if he were to be listened to we would have no bridge over the Berbice River, no Marriott Hotel; Goolsarran, and others so clouded the Amaila Falls issue that the investors pulled out and that vital project never went forward. Goolsarran made numerous allegations of corruption and without a doubt, corruption exists, what Goolsarran and others did not provide was actionable evidence of specific instances. As a former Auditor General, Goolsarran was in the statutory position to unearth this evidence, he was no layman bystander, and this was his primary task, he failed and resorted to the easy road of allegations and innuendo.
The second serious questioning of Goolsarran’s integrity came from the forensic audit he conducted under the
APNU+AFC administration. Goolsarran accepted this contract in blatant violation of the Laws of Guyana, (Audits Cap 73:01) Section 4(3) requires the approval of the Public Accounts Committee to have an audit conducted by an auditor other than the Auditor General. This was not asked for nor granted, also, there should have been a public tender for this audit, the contract Goolsarran accepted was sole-sourced; these black marks are further compounded by Goolsarran’s denial that his name and estimates could be found in the APNU Manifesto (they are on page 42 of 56).
Editor, his use of a dolphin as a red herring aside (bad form), Goolsarran’s letter made for good reading as one man’s rationale (unsolicited) for his life’s choices at a difficult time in our history, HIPIC days were no picnic. Full disclosure, I also worked abroad from 1990-2008 in search of a better salary but offer no apologies. Salaries have always been a sensitive issue in Guyana as the APNU+AFC found out when they gave themselves a 50% increase in 2015, mere months after assuming office, and even then, it was less than USD 5000 per month. In this context, Goolsarran (and others) are vindicated in their move away from Guyana in search of better salaries, the difference with others is they have not returned with a sense of entitlement and have not become bitter when none was offered. For example, in eight years of public writing, I have made numerous claims of corruption, in each case I provided evidence all without the power and staff of the Auditor General’s office. Corruption can and must be exposed at every opportunity but it requires integrity.