“Brassington is not spending his own
money, he must provide answers” –
Harmon
“Ramotar is in charge; he must insist that he does”
Opposition parliamentarians are adamant that it is time that the President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar, instructs public officials as to how to respond to the media when being questioned about pressing national matters.
APNU’s Joseph Harmon
This call comes on the heels of the “blatant” disrespect shown by Chairman of Atlantic Hotels Inc, (AHI) Winston Brassington, in relation to his refusal to answer questions about the controversial Marriott Hotel.
APNU’s Joseph Harmon said yesterday that he believes that public officials who spend taxpayers’ money should operate in a transparent manner.
“”Brassington is not spending his own money, he must provide answers! Donald Ramotar is in charge; he must insist that he does. In the Jagdeo days these people were allowed to operate in such a contemptuous manner. We would hope that the current president is not condoning such disrespect. He (Brassington) is not in his private capacity….The press has a right to ask questions and he is obligated to answer,” Harmon stressed. “It’s the media who keep the public informed when it comes to matters of public interest.”
“His failure to respond, as he should, is basically Brassington saying that he is not obligated to the public and this is something that the President needs to address quickly. One would expect that this attitude was something of the past, but it needs to be addressed by the hierarchy of the PPP, particularly the President,” Harmon told Kaieteur News.
Harmon also opined that such behaviour stems from Brassington not being held accountable or subjected to
Winston Brassington
scrutiny.
“Brassington doesn’t have to come to parliament as do Ministers of the government and answer questions about the country’s finance, which in some cases is bigger than the budget. So he probably feels he’s above the fray so to speak,” Harmon opined.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Alliance for Change Khemraj Ramjattan said that Brassington’s actions show his obnoxious attitude towards anything concerning transparency and the Marriott Hotel.
“His attitude shows that there is neither transparency nor accountability for the project. What he needs to understand, and remember, is that the money which is being spent does not belong to him, but its taxpayers’ money and he ought to show more courtesy,” Ramjattan said.
“Guyanese should demand better from these officials who hold these high offices. The pack of them in the PPP have become numb to the demands of the Guyanese people.”
