The Opposition this evening accused the government of having, yet again, sought to avoid debate in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the power station contract awarded to BWSC.

The Nationist parliamentary group, however, said that its MPs were prepared to discuss the Auditor-General's report on the contract, without having the committee substitute the Auditor-General.

The PL said the government showed at this evening's PAC sitting that it was 'terrified' of the four letters B W S C.

The government MPs had objected to public officers and those who had received millions in commissions, from giving evidence before the committee.

This showed that the government had something to hide, the PL said.

The PN said the government MPs had wanted to have a discussion on the Auditor-General's report and they were in favour of inviting the Auditor General to reply to questions by the members of the committee.

The Opposition, however, wanted to weaken and undermine the Auditor-General by having the committee summon the same witnesses who had been called by the Auditor-General.

The PN said that that it was the PAC itself which had last year delegated the Auditor-General to investigate the power station extension contract. In the 11-month investigation the government never avoided scrutiny. The Auditor-General after his investigations and after hearing the witnesses, concluded that there was no corruption, the PN said.

In seeking to repeat the same process in the PAC, the Opposition was expressing a lack of confidence in the Auditor-General, the PN said.