http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....rruption-nagamootoo/
Ramsammy lacks moral authority to speak on corruption- Nagamootoo
By Abena Rockcliffe
The Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday denounced the government’s attempt to clear allegations of corruption through its series of debates aired by the National Communications Network (NCN). The party’s Vice Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo, expressed that Minister of Agriculture, Leslie Ramsammy, who appeared on the recently aired debate, lacks the moral authority to speak on corruption.
AFC Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo
“Until Ramsammy can adequately explain to this nation how his signature appeared on a letter authorising the importation of spy equipment he ought not to be speaking on corruption. Ramsammy lacks the moral authority to speak on corruption.”
The government aired its most recent “debate” on Wednesday last, but with the non- appearance of any member of the opposition, it was turned into a discussion.
The two government representatives were the aforementioned Ramsammy and Member of Parliament Manzoor Nadir.
Nagamootoo, responding to an article published in the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, said that Nadir who is undecided of which party he is really representing and Ramsammy, who was a member of the United Republic Party and made his entry by criticizing the PPP “standing side by side like Suru and Duru” cannot intimidate members of the AFC.
“It’s a shame,” he said, “Members of the party (PPP) should demand that their legitimate leaders represent them and not two phonies.”
Nagamootoo noted that the AFC views the Chronicle article on AFC’s absence from the NCN “debate” as “utterly ridiculous and foolish.”
“The AFC has shown it is not afraid to debate the PPP/C and the Government even when they outnumber the AFC, as was clearly the case at the last series. The AFC participated at all seven debates in the series and successfully withstood the torrent of chest-beating and downpour of loud noise from the government, the PPP/C and sometimes, the technical experts.”
Nagamootoo pointed out that, weeks after the debate, the government is still to address many of the points and pertinent queries made by the AFC, including from Nigel Hughes; “where can he get an acre of ocean-front real estate for $5 million?”
The Vice-Chairman said that while the AFC is prepared to debate the Government or the PPP/C political party, it wants to see more being done on corruption.
“For example, the situation at NCN has moved beyond an allegation of corruption to evidence of fraud. The government now must act on that and bring charges against the corrupt NCN officials. Why is the government failing to act? Who is it protecting?”
Nagamootoo further noted that his party has not refused to debate government “but after the debacle
Dr. Leslie Ramsammy
that was touted as a debate, the AFC has called for some standard debating format to be put in place; these include some taken from the Nova Scotia Debating Society.
The party’s calls included a request being made for both the AFC and APNU to be allowed to propose at least one topic each, for the debate and for the moderator to be rotated, with each party being allowed to field a moderator.
