The youth arm of the People’s National Party (PNP), the People’s National Party Youth Organization (PNPYO), is calling on Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke to explain errors in the Budget.

Weeks after the Budget was approved in Parliament, an emergency sitting of Parliament on Tuesday, April 10, saw an amendment after being advised that the statutory expenditures voted on were in contravention of the law.

The amendments were piloted by Education Minister Fayval Williams during the absence of the finance minister.

“The PNPYO is concerned that even in the face of such an error, the minister of finance was absent from Parliament on Tuesday and was not represented by his junior minister, who may have been able to provide answers, but was instead represented by the minister of education who did not seem to know the answer to anything.

“The minister of finance must explain this unprecedented foul-up under his watch and fully explain to Jamaicans what happened, how it happened, what measures are being put in place to ensure that a foul-up of this nature does not happen again. He must further state what implications this foul-up, under his watch, will have on the ability of these agencies to carry out their responsibilities. We are advised that it is possible that salary and pension payments may be delayed. What measures are being put in place to remedy the possible implications?” the organisation said.

The PNPYO also condemned an incident in Parliament involving former government minister Everald Warmington, who accused the auditor general of not detecting the blunders in the Budget.

“The sitting also brought to the forefront an unsettling incident involving Government MP Everald Warmington, whose unfounded accusations against the auditor general not only underscores a disconcerting pattern of blame-shifting towards civil servants but also questions the integrity of governance. The responsibility for reviewing and amending the Appropriations Act lies not with the independent constitutional office of the auditor general, but with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service. This misdirection not only showcases a misunderstanding of the roles within our government but an unwillingness on the part of the government to take accountability,” it argued.

The PNPYO is demanding that Clarke explain how the blunder occurred.