Transparency Institute says Harmon’s statement confirms APNU+AFC rewarding, employing supporters, donors out of state resources
Local transparency watchdog, Transparency Institute Guyana Inc on Tuesday said that Minister of State Joseph Harmon is confirming that the APNU+AFC government has been using its position to employ and reward, out of state resources, its supporters and donors and it constitutes corruption.
“Support during the campaign for office is necessarily support for a political party. The Minister of State is confirming that the government has been using its position to employ and reward, out of state resources, its supporters and donors. By the Minister’s own admission, well-paying and prestigious jobs and other privileges were up for sale during the 2015 elections campaign in which the party stood on an anti-corruption and transparency platform. By any international standard, the conduct of Mr. Harmon and by extension, the Government, constitutes corruption,” TIGI said in a statement on Tuesday.
The anti-corruption watchdog further expressed its complete and total rejection of this state of affairs and called on the government to immediately release of information on all such appointments as well as the criteria used.
“Recognising that the absence of transparency usually spawns authoritarianism and corruption, TIGI also calls on the APNU+AFC Coalition to disclose the identity of the donors pre- and post-elections 2015 and the amount and or value of their contributions,” it also added.
TIGI’s statement’s echoes similar calls and concerns expressed by the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic.
