Govt paying $500,000 each for Ministers house rent

Jun 28, 2017 News, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....o-ministers-rentals/

By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell

The State has been renting a house from businessman/politician, Peter Ramsaroop, for Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes. The facility is being rented at a monthly rate of $500,000, being paid by the Parliament Office.

Another is being rented for Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Adams-Patterson.

This arrangement has raised the eyebrows of many, including former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall. He is of the opinion that this arrangement is offensive since it is not being governed by any Constitutional provision or order.

Nandlall penned a letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, seeking more information on the arrangement which he claims is unlawful. Apparently, Nandlall was not aware that Patterson is enjoying a similar arrangement as that which is being enjoyed by Broomes.

So, he wrote, “It has been published in the public domain that the Parliament Office/Clerk of the National Assembly has rented living accommodation for Junior Minister, Simona Broomes, at a rate of $500,000 GYD per month.

“Please provide me with the statutory/constitutional provision or Order, which authorized such use of public monies. I further request copies of any other such rental contracts for living accommodations for Ministers of the Government entered into by the Parliament’s Office/Clerk of the National Assembly.”

The letter was sent to Isaacs on Monday. Up to last evening, Nandlall had not received a response.

However, Isaacs was very open with Kaieteur News when an explanation for the arrangement was sought.

The Clerk said that unlike what has been published in sections of the media, it is not true that the house allowance for ministers—which is provided for in the law—has increased. He said that this allowance still stands at $25,000 per month.

“But, we have been renting quarters for two ministers out of Georgetown (Valerie Patterson and Broomes). Indeed we have been paying $500,000 a month for the houses.

Isaacs quoted the law which says that the Prime Minister, Attorney General and senior ministers of the government are entitled to rent free quarters. Isaacs said that those who have their own homes do not go into rent free quarters. “We give them $25,000”. The other Ministers are housed in Government flats.

“But if the government flats cannot accommodate any other person we rent.”

“Now the PPP has been renting quarters for a number of ministers but the rent was not paid by this office. I believe it was paid by the Office of the President (now the Ministry of the Presidency).”

Isaacs said that former Minister of Amerindian People’s Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, lived in a rented house up to the 2015 elections and so did former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee.

He also pointed out that former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud, before building his own home lived in a rented facility paid for by the government. “Plenty of them lived in rented quarters,” said Isaacs.

He said that it is no easy task finding “a suitable quarter for a minister to live. I mean where you are going to find something for a minister for $25,000?”

Isaacs said that the government-owned Echillibar Villas is not suitable for the Ministers as it sometimes floods when it rains.

“I do not see what is the hue and cry about this. The house allowance has to be raised by law but the renting of the house for a minister is not stated in the law. So, I do not have to get permission to rent a house.  I need permission (from the National Assembly) to increase the allowance because the legislation says $25,000 is to be paid as allowance but this is not allowance this is rent we are looking at two different issues.”

Noteworthy is the fact that none of the Ministers who are living in $500,000 rented homes is senior. Isaacs said that the Ministers were brought from out of town, so government undertook the task of housing them.

Isaacs said that he was going to pen a response to Nandlall yesterday afternoon.

PNC say Django, Caribj and cain eat SHIT while we live like Kings and Queens and they all replied " Yes Massa we love to see you on a nice house and have big Cars"

Soulja Bai walking in Jagdeo kakish footsteps

Is de same wheeling and dealing continuing in Guyana. Nutten ain’t change. It seems that nobody ain’t learn from de past mercenaries. The biggest one was Jagdeo.
He use to rent house fuh Rohee, Robert, Paaleen and Pauline. All Guyana know under Jagdeo everything was a state secret. Nobody never know exactly what ee use to pay fuh dem house but dem boys know it was over $500,000 a month fuh a house.
He did mek GPL fly in topnotch wire, de best in de world, to run underground and connect to he unexplained mansion. How much GPL pay fuh de wire is still a secret. But dem boys know it run into de billions.
Jagdeo, that scamp, smiling because he seeing de same thing. Soulja Bai can’t tell him nutten because is de same thing he doing fuh he people. He seh he wasn’t getting a kickback from de rental deals but he not certain if he can seh de same fuh Soulja Bai.
He an all renting houses fuh some of he people fuh $500,000 a month. De Waterfalls boss man and Uncle Adam want move out from dem house and rent Soulja Bai people fuh less than half wha dem paying.
Dem boys want people to know that dem live in big shot neighbourhoods, and is not like no run down low class place dem paying $500,000 for.
Right now de boss man got a whole furnished house in Republic Park fuh $200,000 a month.
Dem boys know being a politician pays in countries like this. People does go in broke and come out filthy rich. Look at former President Jagdeo and he kavakamites dem.
When he tun president he didn’t even own a car, now he can buy a vehicle factory. Some of he kavakamites use to ride bicycle now dem can decide in which island dem want sleep when de night come.
Soulja Bai people gone in and some of dem never know what is a $100,000 or what it is to own a million dollars. Today dem paying $500,000 fuh rent.
Sherlock High Socks did get nuff land free land under Jagdeo and never seh a word. Now he talking bout rent.
Talk half and don’t surprise Jagdeo rent ExxonMobil his mansion fuh $500,000 only in this case, not Guyana dollars.

Source:

Nehru posted:

PNC say Django, Caribj and cain eat SHIT while we live like Kings and Queens and they all replied " Yes Massa we love to see you on a nice house and have big Cars"

So says the guy who has been posting for about 15yrs and actually made sense twice.

I see lillymohan aka bajan boy aka presidential advisor rationalize that 2 wrongs make a right,