AFC to continue fight against corruption in 2014

THE OBSERVER … Straight out of the horse’s mouth as AFC Region Six councillor reveals ...

Corruption in the AFC

- MP allegedly rips off supporters of millions $$$$

- As wolves devour wolves in sheep’s clothing

Source - Guyana Chronicle

NO less than a member of the AFC executive, councillor of the party’s Region 6 branch, Haseef Yusuf, has brought to public scrutiny the lack of transparency, accountability, and cronyism in that party’s hierarchy, which he highlighted in a letter to the Chronicle on Tuesday 8th May 2012.

Yusuf wrote, inter alia, “It is with profound thought and extreme deliberation that I have finally made this decision to let the public know, especially the Alliance For Change (AFC) members and supporters in Berbice, of the corrupt and fraudulent practices of certain AFC members in Berbice, more specifically a Member of Parliament (MP).

He has been on DTV 8 for the past few years where he hosted a programme called ‘Issues of the People’, where he vehemently lashed out at the government, the PPP/C, GPL, GWI and the Guyana Police Force, Guysuco, et cetera.

He proclaimed himself as the ‘champion’ of transparency, justice and accountability. He entertained anyone who claims to have a grievance and he would lash out without any supporting evidence. He also claimed on numerous occasions that he would ‘singlehandedly’ deliver Berbicians from oppression and corruption, even if the AFC fails to do so.

“However, certain post-election events greatly contradicted this image he is trying so hard to portray on TV. I will deal chronologically with these events and you be the judge.”

Among the accusations of this erstwhile messiah of the Guyanese people is his failure to submit financial reports of monetary transactions without supporting documents, of his using members’ donations to fill his pockets under the allegedly false claims that he spent $4.5 million in excess of campaign funds that he was provided, despite not providing any supporting documentation.

According to Yusuf, this fraudster was not authorised by the executive or the Campaign Manager to spend in excess of the funds that were given to him through the party or by way of donations; and he provided no documentary evidence to support his claim.

Also, for funds collected toward the AFC’s elections campaign, the MP issued no receipts but he instead merely had the maid deposit all the monies collected in a box kept in his home over which he had sole control.

Yusuf further wrote: “On February 1 this year, he convened a meeting at his Whim office where 51 members were present. At this meeting, he emphasised that the party owed him $4.5M and he tried to solicit funds through donations and fund-raising activities in order to recoup his claim of $4.5M ‘owed’ to him. He then convened an election to form a Regional Management Committee and to establish an AFC Office at his Office at Whim. One of the functions of this RMC would be fund-raising through which he would get ‘his money back.’”

Yusuf claims that he was unanimously elected by all 51 members present at that meeting as the Chairman, Mr. Lionel Howell as the Vice- Chairman and Ms. Donna Mathoo as the Secretary.

However, that MP also suggested that a certain female be selected and employed to work at the AFC office to be opened at Whim, to which blatant attempt at cronyism Yusuf said he strongly objected, suggesting instead that the appointments be made through applications to enure fairness and transparency in the elections process.

However, no heed was taken of Yusuf’s suggestion as the MP proceeded to high-handedly and unilaterally install his lady friend in the disputed position – and this was a man who condemned Henry Greene for using his office to pursue his personal relationship. Yusuf asked “Can you imagine a fledgling party behaving in this undemocratic manner?

On April 16, 2012 this new MP, flexing his new-found political muscles, as the collective opposition has been doing with its one vote/one seat majority in Parliament, disregarding Yusuf and Donna Mathoo, the AFC Regional Councillor and Secretary, respectively, convened another election meeting to re-elect office bearers to the Regional Management Committee.

Yusuf peevishly complained, “Donna and I were never officially or unofficially informed that the election held on February 1 was null and void and that we were no longer the Chairman and Secretary, respectively, and that the office will become vacant”; that they were not invited to present themselves for nomination or otherwise; and that a public announcement was not made about the election meeting.

According to Yusuf this was in breach of the AFC’s Constitution,  Article, Section 8, which has made it clear that all groups in the region should be invited for any such meeting, but he contended that less than 20 selected members were present and asked why the MP did not make a public announcement on DTV 8 the week before so that members could take notice and why only a selected handful of members were invited. ‘Is this not rigging? Is this not fraudulent?” Yusuf agonized.

Yusuf has taken the AFC leadership to task for hypocrisy, stating that they are taking the government to task in Parliament on charges that they cannot proves, whereas their own actions cannot bear scrutiny, and he advised “It is time to take out the ‘beam from thine own eyes’ Mr. MP! This is a shame and disgrace to the very principles which the AFC claims to stand for!”   Yusuf asks ‘”Where is the accountability within the AFC? Where is the transparency in the electoral process? Isn’t there cronyism within the AFC? Afraid of another defection if you drop the hammer?”

He expressed doubts whether Ramjattan has the courage to act decisively in these matters since the AFC Chairman has brushed off his concerns as he is “too busy”; so if he is too busy to deal with corruption in his own party how will he run a country with a myriad agencies where corruption had become endemic since PNC days, and which has become so entrenched that it has become near-impossible to root out.

As Yusuf noted, in any other country the misuse and abuse of campaign funds are dealt with criminally, especially where a person is making unsubstantiated claims in order to enrich himself or herself, whereas in Guyana such a person will be promoted to high office.

It is a well-known fact that troublemakers in the society who aspired to the hallowed halls of the National Assembly, or higher offices, were bribed with parliamentary seats, a vice-presidency, or a co-leadership position to join the AFC.  The Gaumattie Singh imbroglio should have warned wannabes like Yusuf what to expect from the AFC.

The AFC is another arm to break up the PPP support base and give the PNC power once more, and they have certainly succeeded.  Persons like Yusuf should not complain, because Guyana’s history is there for the reading, but they have chosen to join the wolves in sheep’s clothing.  But today the wolves are devouring each other in order to gain the spoils.

Ramjattan was promised leadership of the party on a rotational basis, but Trotman has never relinquished that position, so Ramjattan is just a bitter, venomous mouthy nothing who can make no decisions, but is left to do the dirty work of the puppeteers who are drawing his strings. Moses Nagamootoo wanted the presidency and the final rejection of his candidacy by the PPP/C sent the self-appointed deliverer into the embrace of the AFC with the promise of “a high place” and a Vice-presidency.  Both aspiring presidents are today holding “larwah”.  He was not even given the Speakership position to which he aspired because Trotman had allegedly cut a secret deal with the PNC to reject him in return for AFC support.

However, PPP defectors to the AFC have to be blind not to recognise the trend.  Gaumattie Singh was denied a parliamentary seat because Trotman chose Chantal Smith instead, Trotman has always been leader of the AFC since inception, despite the co-leadership premise on which it was founded, with Ramjattan always having been left floundering in the cold, and Nagamootoo was denied the Speaker’s position.  Guess who holds both positions coveted by Ramjattan and Nagamootoo?  Trotman, of course, because he has been revealed to have been holding secret talks with the hierarchy of the PNC, the beast out of whose belly he emerged; and ironically, it is the PPP/C support base that is being eroded to ultimately empower the PNC, and former PPP supporters in the diaspora and the business world whom are funding them. Michael Forde, Bholanauth Parmanand and Jagan Ramessar must be turning in their graves.

Maybe there would be many more like Gaumattie Singh and Yusuf who would realize the colossal mistake they have made in trying to deliver this nation into the jaws of the wolves in sheep’s clothing, because the wolves are already devouring each other, merely waiting for the day when the treasury is delivered to them before they begin swallowing the spoils.

The Berbician AFC MP under scrutiny is already selling duty-free vehicles he acquired through his parliamentary concession. Today, it is dog eat dog in the AFC camp – or wolf eats wolf.

Last Updated on Friday, 11 May 2012 21:36