Minister Edghill dismisses claims of state resources misuse - says more opposition truth-twisting expected
Written by Gina Webmasters, Published in News, Georgetown, GINA, January 22, 2015, Source - GINA
Parliamentarians from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) are already ‘twisting the truth’, accusing the Donald Ramotar administration of misusing state resources for elections campaigning, a charge that has been dismissedby Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill.
Minister Edghill challenged Opposition Leader David Granger to come up with “…hard evidence that funds are being squandered.” He instead opined that the APNU Leader’s “rants” are based on fear.
In a National Communications Network Inc. interview, following the announcement that May 11 is polling day, the Minister intimated that more attacks and ‘truth twisting’ can be expected. He explained the scenario that there is a huge disparity between reality and the opposition’s response interpretation.
Minister Edghill explained that “… every government minister and ministry must continue to carry out their function…all the roads that are being built have to continue, the schools that are being built have to continue, they have to be managed, the project execution unit must be able to manage them, people must get paid their salaries, hospitals must function, school must go on, and children must be able to write their exams.”
This according to the Minister is not electioneering, but simply fulfilling of designated duties, and a carrying out of functions. He went on to state that Guyana must remain normal, and that “an election was never meant to collapse a country, an election is an event that allows the people of the country to give a review on the performance of the government and determine if they would like to have a change and it must be done in a particular environment.”
He clearly pointed out that the still legitimate PPP/C government must continue to develop and deliver goods and services for all the people of Guyana; not just to a select grouping. This, according to the Minister, is nothing even closely resembling ‘campaigning.’ “It is what the PPP/C has been doing for years, since its incipient days after winning the 1992 elections.”
Minister Edghill further explained that one must grasp that there is a difference between a government function and a political party campaigning for support for a cause. He expressed the view that the opposition would cry foul, if a hospital that is scheduled to be opened, and possibly the President shows up, and then there will be the deliberate attempt, by the opposition, to misconstrue, thus foisting on the masses that “President Ramotar is on the campaign trail.”
He explained that obligations, whether elections or not, must be honoured by the government and its officers.
“The schools feeding programme has to continue, children have to get their uniforms, textbooks must continue to be procured, we have to continue to engage doctors, and foreign consultants to come and look after patients, buy drugs (medicines). So in the next four months we will continue to assure the people of Guyana that the goods and services that they demand and deserve, your government will continue to deliver those goods and services to you and also wearing another hat at the appropriate time to come to your community to unashamedly request your votes of the PPP/C, because we are the ones who would have brought development, dignity and prosperity to the people of Guyana.”