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FM
Former Member

Different strokes…

…for AFC folks

After caught with their pants down on their Chairman Nigel Hughes’ blatant conflict of interest with Amaila Falls Hydro Inc (AFHI), the Alliance For Change (AFC) has issued an “apology”. But this is not just too little, too late: the release contains so many caveats and outright distortions that the “apology” becomes an insult to the Guyanese people.

 It’s clearly the work of AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan and Vice-Chairman Moses Nagamootoo. They tried to fob off the charge on Hughes, but we all know from their personal experience, they’re also neck deep in conflict of interests.

They go on and on about the right of leaders’ “individual freedom and respect for the right to work and association”. Now who the heck ever said anything about Hughes, Ramjattan and Nagamootoo’s “right to work”. This is just a stinky red herring dragged across their conflict of interest trail to distract Guyanese.

Sure, Ramjattan can work for Fedders-Lloyd on their bid for the Specialty Hospital. But he can’t use his position as a parliamentarian to block funds for the winning bid, just because his client lost out. That’s a conflict of interest with his duty to serve the people of Guyana’s interest and not just his client’s.

Sure, Nagamootoo can collect $7 million from the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) for filling out forms to move D’Edward Village residents from the approach of the Berbice Bridge.

But he can’t as a parliamentarian use knowledge gained from his association to attack NICIL in and out of Parliament. That’s a conflict of interest – not to mention revealing privileged information. We still are amazed these two serial offenders haven’t been disciplined by the Guyana Bar Association.

And, sure Hughes can become the lawyer and company secretary for AFHI. That’s not the issue. The issue is why he didn’t even tell his AFC leader. Ramjattan now disingenuously avoids mentioning this fact which he blurted out when first confronted with the conflict of interest. If Ramjattan himself didn’t know of Hughes’ deep involvement with AFHI, how can he now vouch for Hughes not betraying confidential information?

More to the point, why did the AFC make a complete u-turn on AFHI after vowing for months that they’ll only make a decision after the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) due diligence report?

Was Hughes earning his salary from AFHI? And exactly how much is that salary? The AFC “apology” makes out Hughes role to be a minor, perfunctory one. Well, let’s hear about the quantum of the salary and let the Guyanese people make up their own minds.

These fellas think the rules don’t apply to them – just to others.

 

…for PNC folks

The AFC apology concluded that “leadership and the world of politics are fraught with half-truths that are peddled as credible”.  So true – and their apology is replete “with half-truths that are peddled as credible”. It’s also true of their coalition partner in Parliament – A Partnership for National Unity/People’s National Congress (APNU/PNC), as we can tell by the slew of missives from Carl Greenidge.

But before your Eyewitness gets to what Greenidge wrote – he has to have a word about how he writes.  Lord!! Can’t this guy ever write anything less than 2000 words? Is he being paid by the word? To plough through his letters to the press is nothing but torture. But duty demands it and all that: got to keep your eyes on these obstructionists!

Anyhow, Greenidge dismissed his former party member Peter Ramsaroop’s criticism that the PNC was just taking pot shots at the Amaila Falls project, but not proposing any credible alternatives. This is the crux of the matter: it’s easy to take pot shots from the outside, since every initiative will have pros and cons. Let’s hear what they have to offer – if anything.

 

…for interior folks

Emboldened by his PNC promotion after the Linden road blockage, Sharma Solomon is at it again in Ituni-Kwakwani. Expect this lawlessness to spread…

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14 charged with obstructing traffic -- as residents protest deplorable state of Linden/ Kwakwani road -- repairs to start within one week.

 

…for interior folks

Emboldened by his PNC promotion after the Linden road blockage, Sharma Solomon is at it again in Ituni-Kwakwani. Expect this lawlessness to spread…

FM

Ituni/ Kwakwani protesters charged, released on bail

PNC thugs lawless behavior exhibited here. Young black men and women were laying on wooden planks obstructing traffic. They were all laughing for the camera as though it was funny. This is how APNU/AFC intended to run Guyana. Granger will not advise them to get an education to be gainfully employed, but he will encourage them to riot, burn down school and to be destructive. 

FM
30 SCHOOLS VANDALIZED - Gov’t says there’s obvious connection between vandalism and recent opposition/media attacks on education sectorPDFPrintE-mail
Written by Telesha Ramnarine   
Wednesday, 04 September 2013 23:40

 

SOME 30 schools were affected by vandalism just prior to the resumption of the academic school year and the Government has considered an “obvious connection” between such and recent opposition/media attacks on the education sector.
“For Cabinet, a case has been made. That connection is real,” Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon said yesterday.

FM
Originally Posted by yuji22:

AFC Crab Dawgs are in bed with the PNC stray dawgs. These AFC/PNC stray dawgs are detrimental to the future of Guyana. 

Ewe-Gee ......will dem Crab Louse and @untymen

still cuss the AFC,

 

yuh think Kwame and De Pundit

Bamboo Wedding gon fool....

 De Hindus, De Indians or De Guyanese....

 

Look how nice Kwame look

Bhai De Pundit Lucky

FM
Originally Posted by Cobra:

It seem like you only have one answer for everything. It's called lack of vision. 

and we know this answer

is de truth..... and um... 

hurting you.....real bad

Only a Crab Louse or @untymen

will forget who Kwame is,

 

Look how nice Kwame look

Bhai De Pundit Lucky

 
 
         
 
 
FM

Hughes and Hydro:
I have no doubt that the disclosure that Mr. Nigel Hughes functioned simultaneously as chairman for the Alliance For Change and the Company Secretary for Amaila Hydroelectric Project Inc. is a shock from which many have not yet recovered. His decision to resign from the party rather than the company must have bewildered his supporters more than anything else. The fact that his leader disclaims knowledge of his dual role speaks volumes. To whom did he make his alleged disclosure that he is the company secretary for Amaila Hydro Electric Project Inc. when his leader is unaware, is indeed a million dollar question. Certainly, the disclosure was not made public and only that could have possibly dissipated the impregnable conflict of interest which he eventually admitted. Alas, this public disclosure is almost four years late.

FM

Office of the President driver arrested with unlicensed gun, ammo

  • Thursday, 05 September 2013 11:27

Office of the President driver arrested with unlicensed gun, ammo

A driver of the Office of the President was Thursday arraigned for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition and he was remanded to prison.
Kennard Jabur of Norton Street allegedly had in his possession one  9 MM pistol and four live bullets without being the holder of a license.
The prosecution told the court that Jabur was stopped and searched by a police mobile patrol on September 3 at John Street and Brickdam.
At the time, he was riding a motorcycle without a helmet.(He got caught by accident)
Prosecutor, Bharrat Magru objected to bail, saying that the offence was prevalent and serious. He said no special reasons were presented to justify the bail application.(Prosecutor Magru admit in court these Crab Louse are acting as if they are above the law.....and this offence was prevalent and serious)
Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry refused Jabur bail. The matter was transferred to  Court Three where Magistrate Judy Latchman told him to return to court on September 18
FM
Originally Posted by Conscience:

Hughes and Hydro:
I have no doubt that the disclosure that Mr. Nigel Hughes functioned simultaneously as chairman for the Alliance For Change and the Company Secretary for Amaila Hydroelectric Project Inc. is a shock from which many have not yet recovered. His decision to resign from the party rather than the company must have bewildered his supporters more than anything else. The fact that his leader disclaims knowledge of his dual role speaks volumes. To whom did he make his alleged disclosure that he is the company secretary for Amaila Hydro Electric Project Inc. when his leader is unaware, is indeed a million dollar question. Certainly, the disclosure was not made public and only that could have possibly dissipated the impregnable conflict of interest which he eventually admitted. Alas, this public disclosure is almost four years late.

THE HEIST OF GUYANA

sachin_05

Sithe Global would have recovered total investment in five years

September 5, 2013 | By | Filed Under News 

…and 15 years of profits-Anand Goolsarran

At a 19 per cent rate of return, Sithe Global, the company contracted to develop the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project, would have recovered its total investment of US$157M, within five years time, and this is ignoring inflation.
Former Auditor General of Guyana, Anand Goolsarran, in an invited comment regarding the repayment arrangement to Sithe Global, said that for the remaining 15 years of its operations in Guyana, all of the payments it would have received would have been profits.
He calculated this to work out at US$447.45 million.

 Former Auditor General of Guyana, Anand Goolsarran

Former Auditor General of Guyana, Anand Goolsarran

According to Goolsarran, over the 20-year period, Sithe’s return on investment of US$157M would have been US$596.6 million.
He said that as a percentage of the original investment, “this works out to 380 per cent over the 20-year period.”
Goolsarran said that the return on investment of 19 per cent “appears too high” given that most of the financial risks were covered by the Power Purchase Agreement, which was also backed by a Government guarantee.
He said that Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has also pledged all of its assets as a security for its payments, including all receivables derived from the sale of electricity to consumers.
Goolsarran also said that it needs to be borne in mind that at the end of the 20-year period, Amaila Falls Hydro Inc. would have accumulated significant assets, other than the actual infrastructure works which would have been handed over to the Government.
He explained that as a preference shareholder, Sithe Global, would be entitled to its 60 per cent share of such assets as a priority over the ordinary shareholder which is the Government of Guyana.
The former Attorney General explained that there are two main types of equity investments: ordinary shares, and preference shares.
He said that for its return on investment, ordinary shareholders receive dividends when profits are made and dividends declared.
In contrast, preference shareholders receive a fixed rate of return regardless of whether the company has made a profit or not.
“Preference shares are a half-way house between loans and ordinary shares…The main difference is that there is no periodic repayment of the investment.”
He said that should the company have to ‘wind up,’ preference shareholders will be given priority in terms of the distribution of the proceeds arising out of the liquidation.
Goolsaran did caution that “there was no mention of Sithe Global being a preference shareholder in any of the documents I have seen.”
This status of the company had been attributed by Financial Analyst, Christopher Ram, who in his writings had said the public might have been led to believe that Sithe Global is an equity investor when, “in fact Sithe Global was allowed to design the project documents so that the repayment of its cash and in-kind investment would be effected through the monthly all-in charge to be paid by GPL.”
He concluded that “Sithe (Global) then is not an equity shareholder but the holder of redeemable preference shares enjoying total control of all aspects of a project.”

Mitwah

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