"It pains me as a former President and as a patriot to see the groveling of our government, the sucking to people who are junior people in the international community and hanging onto their every word like its gospel... trying to shift policies to accommodate these people and half of them don't have national interest at heart, our interest," the Opposition Leader said, as he lashed out at the administration.
The APNU+AFC coalition government is being accused of “sucking up” to the advice of foreign diplomats and came in for harsh criticism on Thursday from the opposition People’s Progressive Party.
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo cried shame at the government who he claimed, is allowing many of their policies and programmes to be influenced by foreign intervention.
“I have noticed that this government likes to take advice from foreigners, there are lots of people telling this government what to do,” he said at a midday press conference.
Mr. Jagdeo said half of the advice being offered is “loud and pure nonsense” but refused to identify specifically who his comments were targeting.
“It pains me as a former President and as a patriot to see the groveling of our government, the sucking to people who are junior people in the international community and hanging onto their every word like its gospel… trying to shift policies to accommodate these people and half of them don’t have national interest at heart, our interest,” the Opposition Leader said, as he lashed out at the administration.
He reasoned that the government is encouraging exactly what the older citizens fought against during the pre-independence period.
“I believe the international community is important, I believe as partners we should listen to them, listen to advice, but it must be done in house and in a manner that is decent and in good faith but it can’t be lectures,” he added.
Jagdeo said there were instances where this government has sought to put junior Foreign Officers on pedestals while Ministers sit like “compliant students” and get lectured on how to run the country.
He said too that in some cases those offering advice are worst off than Guyana.
He would not comment, when asked, about the sentiments expressed by outgoing Deputy Chief of Missions at the United States Embassy in Georgetown, Bryan Hunt.
Hunt recently offered “free advice” to Guyana as he prepares his departures after three years. At a recent reception, the outgoing US Embassy official called for the end to winner takes all politics in Guyana and for there to be Constitutional reform.
But while PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee has agreed with some of the advice offered, Jagdeo said he is not of the view that politicians and leaders have to comment on or take as gospel what any diplomat says.
“If it is good, we welcome the advice but we must not feel obligated to act on what they say because you want to be in their good books… we must have the courage to say that the advice is good but hold on a minute because we can think through these things ourselves,” he added.
Mr. Jagdeo said he has spoken to several US Presidents, past and present, and never seen any sort of arrogance from them which diplomats and junior officials here are trying to engage in.
The last PPP government had come under severe criticism after it pushed its Education Minister at the time, Priya Manickchand, to deliver a “feral blast” to the U.S government at a US Embassy reception.
The PPP has also thrown blame at the international community for its loss at the last elections. Jagdeo has been staying away from US Embassy receptions and events for a number of years.
