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Originally Posted by asj:
Originally Posted by Jalil:
Originally Posted by asj:

Question : Was there a link between King Jagdoe, and Roger Khan. Sound like there were motives to kill those three Ministers?

 

 Answer : A very private Business/Working Relationship which will soon be exposed.  

And this went back from when Jagdeo was A Junior Minister Under Asgar and helping Roger set up his empire.

 

(1) We know Swah was a Hit.

 

(2) Pundit was fine up to Dr Jagan Death, Pundit led the Guyana Delegation of top officials which came to Andrews Airforce Base in 1997 to take Back Dr Jagans Boby to Guyana. He was not sick and he was still sparking on all his plugs.... still getting in trouble with some young girls.

But as soon as Jagdeo became President ....a strange sickness struck him down.....and he began to loose his marbles....and never recovered and Died.

 

 

(3)Mr Doodnoath Singh drew the line with Jagdeo. Soon after he got very sick too as his health was getting down, he was getting tired of seeing all the corruption going on....until he quietly resigned. Jagdeo was refusing to give the man his pension and benefits....so he hauled the Govt to court and got his benefits thru a court order.....And he died later.

 

 

 Answer : A very private Business/Working Relationship which will soon be exposed. 

 

How soon can we expect this exposee relationship, we have seen that there was a relationsship, yet the PPP/C deny knowing Roger Khan. Are we going to expect any retrubution from Roger for this willful oversight from the PPP/C? There is opinions from some quarter that it will be payback time when Roger gets out, please comment.

 

Asj as we are seeing a lot is happening in Guyana

 that we do not Understand......

like this that just happen today

Western diplomats meet APNU

 Present at the meeting were US Ambassador Brent Hardt, British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre, Canadian High Commissioner Dr. Nicole Giles and European Union Representative was Derek Lambe.

 

APNU was represented by Leader of the Opposition Brigadier David Granger, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine,  Basil Williams, Carl Greenidge,  Joseph Harmon, and Ronald Bulkan.

 

The last time the Western Diplomats meet the Opposition

was before the 1992 elections.....

Next thing we knew PNC got thrown out of Power.

 

Longest rope got an end....

these Countries got the Intelligence on

How Jagdeo & Ramotar mess up the country

with Narco Influence & Connectins....

 

they got all the Inside Runnings

from Roger, Ed and Richard James...

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Originally Posted by Jalil:

they got all the Inside Runnings

from Roger, Ed and Richard James...

 

 

How is James related to the Drug dealer and the Real estate Fraudster? He was an insurance scam artist who murdered his friends. Never in my wildest dreams I would think our peasant farmers could seed these monsters...but they did.

FM
Originally Posted by Danyael:
Originally Posted by Jalil:

they got all the Inside Runnings

from Roger, Ed and Richard James...

 

 

How is James related to the Drug dealer and the Real estate Fraudster? He was an insurance scam artist who murdered his friends. Never in my wildest dreams I would think our peasant farmers could seed these monsters...but they did.

Richard James was Jagdeo's First and secret contact in New York.

James had personal contact with all the professionals in Richmond Hill, Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, Real estate & Mortgage Brokers.  

James was his contact man to get to these People.

Jagdeo did not know anyone in New York, James would carry him "Bar & Rum Shop Hopping" meeting all these low-lives and that impressed Jagdeo.

 

  In the Beginning Richard James was Jagdeo man of business in New York...providing him with whatever he like.

 

Richard James used to travel a lot to Guyana and would always showing off the Pictures he took with Jagdeo his personal friend.

 

At Richard James Trial the US Govt produced pictures and Video of the President and his Friend Richard James partying and meeting in New York and in Guyana too.

FM

Another Fiasco in the making: The PPP/C for you:

 

June 17, 2013 · By Staff Writer

Dear Editor,

 

Our Minister of Finance recently declared that Mr Raj Singh currently acting Chairman of GuySuCo will not be receiving a $5 million monthly salary or even a $3 million monthly salary as stated in the media, but a $2.5 million salary. That ought to take care of the concerns of those who thought that he was going to get $3 million. Who exactly does Ashni Singh think he is fooling? Here again is total contempt for the opposition and the citizens of this country, and a betrayal of Dr Jagan.

First Minister Singh was careful not to list what the other costs of being an absentee Chairman of GuySuCo would add to the woes of this cash-strapped corporation. In fact he told us that Raj Singh would be the executive chairman, but clearly this is nonsense since he can’t be executive chairman of anything unless he is living here 365 days a year. Sugar operations just do not happen once a month; it is a 24 hours a day 356 days a year operation.

Secondly, he then tried to obscure the picture and confuse the public by bringing Mr Errol Hanoman into the frame by telling us that Raj Singh, who would functionally be an executive chairman but not resident here, will be earning the same as Hanoman who was a full-time chief executive of the corporation! At that time Minister Gopaul as he is now, was chairman, so was Dr Gopaul getting $2.5 million a month?  But for us to employ this part-time executive chairman at a cost of $2.5 million per month, Minister Singh was careful not to mention that since he is resident abroad, we would in fact incur huge expenses to bring him here monthly to chair GuySuCo’s meetings estimated by the opposition to be a total package of US$25,000 a month. This situation, I repeat, is a completely different situation in comparison to Errol Hanoman who was a highly respected former Finance Director of the corporation and who was working full time in the industry as CEO, not chairman, as Minister Singh wrongly stated at the press conference. In my previous letter I expressed my opinion that the current CEO Mr Bhim is way out of his depth in his present situation.

In view of the above let me say that Mr Singh is not worth this salary. His exposure in the sugar industry was as an industrial relations junior manager whose offices were not even situated in the same building as the other functioning directors/managers of the corporation.

Consequently since CEO Bhim’s comment was that “there was no cane in the fields,” I don’t know which one of GuySuCo’s current directors, especially this absentee chairman, has the competence to rectify the dire situation which the industry finds itself in today, and what workable plans will be formulated to mechanise the harvesting and increase the yield of cane in the fields. He said that President Ramotar had a plan to restructure the corporation, but none of us have seen it. I want to remind the public that Mr Ramotar was on the board of GuySuCo during all of the time when the corporation was being emasculated through political interference, so his plan could hardly be viable. And here we are again putting a person in as chairman whose only apparent qualification for the job is that he is a devout PPP activist overseas.

I would like to remind the public that the two corporations which have brought this nation to the brink of disaster through incompetence and corruption are GPL and GuySuCo. Both were slated by the Desmond Hoyte administration for privatisation, and just before the 1992 elections Dr Jagan torpedoed the privatisation talks by telling the public that if he won the 1992 elections, he would not be honouring any agreements made by Hoyte to privatise GuySuCo or GPL. And I want to quote Dr Jagan from his speech on May 26, 1995:  “I have been faithful to my promise of giving you a government that is fully accountable to its electorate, free from corruption and transparent in all its financial and business affairs and the upholding of all your rights and freedoms won through sacrifice.” I wonder what he would do were he here today to see what he has created.

Thirdly, this press briefing was conducted at Freedom House. Dr Ashni Singh is a member of a minority government which does not control parliament, nevertheless, the PPP has to understand, that they have formed a government of all the people and as such convening meetings outlining government’s positions at Freedom House is an insult to us and should stop. Paramountcy of the party is gone and the PPP must accept it and move on; there are several more appropriate places, GINA for example, where they can conduct these sorts of briefings.  The government of all the people cannot possibly convene a weekly press conference in the PPP headquarters where Dr Singh is speaking in his capacity as a minister of government.

Fourthly, I want to know from Dr Singh’s disclosures, why Raj Singh needs two homes? And in what country/s will these two homes be located?

Fifthly, I am concerned that he told the press conference that he does not want to speak about the other members of the board, he would only be addressing the Raj Singh issue. The media have reservations about the competence of the board since it is failing miserably even when this same Mr Raj Singh was its acting chairman during the disastrous first crop of 2013, so how can he, in a democracy, refuse to answer questions about the current board members and their competence?

Sixthly, he told the press that Raj Singh is eminently qualified, “has worked in sugar for a number of years at indeed senior levels” but neglects to tell them that he really worked in the Industrial Relations Department of GuySuCo in the late ’70s and early’80s as a junior manager under D P Sankar and has no experience of the running of the administrative, factory or field sections of the corporation. So the opposition is right: Raj Singh does not have the qualifications or experience to address the problems of the corporation at this time. The government should release the full CV of Mr Raj Singh; this is our industry which is in a morass of economic difficulties brought on by similar disastrous policy decisions over the past 10 years, and they are asking us to subsidise it with our taxes. We therefore have a right to know who this man is, and what his qualifications are.

Then seventhly, comes the strangest part of this press conference; Ashni Singh tells the media that he had minimal knowledge of the industry! It’s there in the Stabroek News of June 11th on page 12 captioned ‘GuySuCo executive chairman likely to earn 2.5 million a month.’  If the Minister of Finance has minimal knowledge of our largest and most important industry, how dare he ask us in his national budget to put up $5+ billion in 2012 and another $5+ billion in 2013 to bail out the industry through the budget from the perilous state it finds itself in, with all of these incompetent directors and managers.

Surely as Minister of Finance he would have had to find out in the most fundamental and comprehensive way what is going on in this industry before he decided to ask the taxpayers to take their money to bail out GuySuCo. There is much more, Editor, but space prohibits further examination of the matter. However, there was one statement by Ashni Singh which I would like to address: he told the media (I saw this on TV) at the same press briefing that the poor production in the first crop was due to rainfall and strikes. I don’t know where Minister Singh is living, but we had the driest first half year in a very long time in 2013, and as far as strikes are concerned, I want to remind him that in August 1977 to January 1978 the sugar industry went on a 135 day strike called by the PPP’s GAWU, but we still made 241,527 tonnes of sugar which was 74.4 per cent of the annual target.

As far as the copious amounts of information provided by GuySuCo to the 9th Parliament when Mr Robert Persaud came with the GuySuCo team to answer our questions, I, as a member and chairman of the committee was far from convinced that the corporation was pursuing a viable and realistic developmental plan, and in fact they refused to give us the 1998-2008 strategic plan. I believe that they said that they could not find it.

So in my opinion it is wholly unacceptable to spend this amount of money on a chairman who has no experience in cane cultivation, mechanisation or factories; disciplines which would be essential in order to warrant this huge salary in addition to travelling and accommodation expenses which I am advised, will in the end, add up to US$25,000 per month.
GuySuCo’s problems will inevitably continue.

 

Yours faithfully,
Tony Vieira

FM

And I want to quote Dr Jagan

from his speech on May 26, 1995: 

This Speech was written by Moses

 

“I have been faithful to my promise

of giving you a government

that is fully accountable to its electorate,

free from corruption

and transparent in all its financial and business affairs

and the upholding of all your rights

and freedoms won through sacrifice.”

 

I wonder what he would do

were he here today

to see what he has created....

 

Rev call them a Bunch of Crooks & Thieves

and he is Right

this took some wind out of

"De Sack of Lies"

FM

THE PPP/C HAS NO INTENT TO ADDRESS THE FILTH IN GEORGETOWN:

 

Sinking in filth

October 30, 2013 | By | Filed Under Editorial 

The recurrence of a garbage crisis does not surprise us. The corrective methods have always been inadequate. The wrangling at City Hall hasn’t helped. It is also no longer newsworthy. The citizens are bored and disinterested. They do not expect much from a preposterous leadership arrangement. And to pile it on even more, we have a government that is still obsessed with comparing its performance with the PNC’s “28 years”.
No amount of “spin” through playing the “blame game” can hide the fact that the Government is not intent on addressing the root causes of this endemic problem. But how long can we continue to exist in this filth?
The Local Government situation has been toyed around with for as long as many of us care to remember. One wonders if anything of consequence will ever develop from the assent of Bills and the holding of elections.
As the city stinks, we now await the customary announcement that the government will be taking the lead on this issue of national importance, and in the best interest of the people, help them by providing unlimited resources as well as creating employment for many. The people would be working under the supervision of contractors and they would be responsible for the maintenance/clean-ups in their respective communities.
From time immemorial, projects of this nature have been launched in numerous regions and in the city. Teams of workers have been called upon to clean up garbage and the like. But this is just a stop-gap method. The funding will of course be touted as substantial, but in actual fact it will merely represent a drop in the ocean.
The beleaguered City Hall has never effectively used its powers to haul defaulting rate payers before the courts, and has constantly bemoaned the sloth in the judicial system. There has also been the cry of not being allowed to raise funds through innovative means.
The government was at one time, and most likely still is City Hall’s biggest debtor, and in the not too distant past there was a quarrel over the quantum the government owed to the council. Within recent times there has not been much talk about the government owing the city council, but one can assume that that will not be seen as a priority, in terms of making it public knowledge.
Any money that government owes will certainly not be given to the council; it will go to private contractors. Government has insisted over the years that City Hall is incompetent. An interim management committee has always been its preference.
In the meantime, we predict that as the city continues to sink in garbage, there will be a much-publicized Presidential walkabout with a number of council officials accompanying the presidential party. The president and/or his advisers will then meet with the council to agree on and to plan enhancement works. More of the same.
The unpopular City Hall will continue to lose its grip on the management of the city and government will continue to boast that it has to provide the essential services. It will be highlighted that City Hall is inevitably heading for redundancy as more and more the government has to undertake necessary works in Georgetown. The Mayor and others who insist that they are the legitimate leaders will continue to be sidelined as their detractors pile on the criticisms. The vicious cycle will continue.
There will be a brief respite from this crisis and then we will have to hold our breaths through the Christmas season and beyond, as we again wallow in the mire. While those in authority play their selfish games, the possibility our luck running out (in terms of crippling diseases) is increasing. There is no reason that we should be allowed to decline to this extent in the 21st century. The frightening thing is we are not convinced that anyone really has the answers.

 

 

FM
Originally Posted by Jalil:

And I want to quote Dr Jagan

from his speech on May 26, 1995: 

This Speech was written by Moses

 

“I have been faithful to my promise

of giving you a government

that is fully accountable to its electorate,

free from corruption

and transparent in all its financial and business affairs

and the upholding of all your rights

and freedoms won through sacrifice.”

 

I wonder what he would do

were he here today

to see what he has created....

 

Rev call them a Bunch of Crooks & Thieves

and he is Right

this took some wind out of

"De Sack of Lies"

Dr. J must be turning in his grave.

Mitwah

At a Meeting in Richmond Hill, Queen New York, and the President Ramotar did admit the there were corruptions when he says:

 

Corruption and crime

 

 

Queried about corruption and crime, Ramotar saidhe does not dispute that corruption exists, as it does everywhere, but said it is difficult to prove it, and no one has come forward as yet with solid evidence. He said there are many problems with the court system and police investigation of crime and corruption.

 

 

FM

ANOTHER GOVT CORP RIDDLED WITH FRAUD AND CORRUPTIONS

 

GPHC FRAUD: Finance boss, clerk sent

on leave

Wednesday, 30 October 2013

 

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has sent on “administrative” leave its Director of Financial Services and an Accounts Clerk as a probe continues into multi-million dollar fraud.

“This decision took immediate effect so that the probe into the disappearance of funds from the Institution could be continued,” the hospital said in a statement.

The GPHC did not release the amount of money that was allegedly stolen but Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com) was told that it was about GUY$5 million.

The decision to send the duo on leave was taken at a GPHC Board meeting held on October 24.

The Accounts Clerk had been arrested before and placed on station bail. She subsequently resumed duties at the hospital but in the Human Resources Department.

The GPHC first announced on October 1 that the police and Auditor General’s Office were investigating an alleged fraud at the health care institution.

Monies missing included partial paMyments for certain tests that are done at private hospitals to which the cash should have been remitted.

FM

Cocaine, money laundering and politics in Guyana

June 1, 2013 Leave a comment
 
May 31, 2013 | By KNews | Filed Under Features / Columnists, Freddie
Kissoon 
 

Here is the most graphic fact that no international expert on drug trafficking can ignore about Guyana. Not one, I repeat, not one of the super-rich traffickers has been charged much less pass through a court trial. Not one, I repeat not even one of the most conspicuous money-launderers has even been charged, much less face a court hearing.

FM

 

Cocaine, money laundering and politics in Guyana

June 1, 2013

 

The American reticence on drug trafficking in Guyana has caused widespread consternation among political observers. How could the Americans be so blind to the political angles? It had to be the sea breeze that has induced sleep over the past ten years.
The American Ambassador told the media that even if Guyana is given an extension to comply with money-laundering operations by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force at their meeting in Nicaragua, there still may be sanctions against Guyana, because there has been no successful prosecution of money launderers.The Ambassador must be saying to himself; “God, not even one.”

FM

 

Nepotism: The best and the brightest minds in

Guyana are fleeing

March 1, 2013

Dear Editor,
As nationals of Guyana, we have been concerned about how poorly employers, particularly the PPP regime, have used the human resources in the country.
For too long, this government has allowed the finest minds to be either underemployed or without any positive and active involvement in the country affairs.
Yet the state continues to expend significant amount of resources on educating the people and encouraging them to prepare themselves. To what end?
Let’s call a spade a spade! Almost daily, available jobs are usually advertised in the media and elsewhere by the government in order to satisfy some internal organizational protocol.
But government officials merely go through the fraudulent motions of an interview process when they have already decided who the holder of the position will be. And it is one of their supporters or relatives of high ranking PPP officials.
But the regime has the gall in these advertisements to let potential applicants know up front that they thank them for applying but do not have the decency to even acknowledge their applications let alone call them for an interview.
This is the scam that this regime has been involved in for years and it has caused unnecessary grief and pain after those who apply found out after what has happened. To use such a sinister ploy to deceive the nation indicates how low the administration has descended.
The fact is when the private sector engages in these acts, at least the consequence is personal, and shows up in their bottom line expense sheet.
But when the Government does the same, employing only friends and supporters of the PPP despite their lack of ability, qualifications experience and requisite skills, the entire nation suffers.
Let us be clear in saying that we have no difficulty whatsoever with the regime wanting to hire its party supporters and members or people of like thinking in critical policy areas so long as those persons are qualified to do the job.
But this has not been the case at the office of the President and at several other state agencies and departments which have employed hundreds of contract employees who are paid super salaries because they are the children, relatives and friends of the PPP cabal.
This is happening in a country where brain cells have gone on strike for an extended period and the loudest mouths in political campaigns are usually rewarded with the most influential positions.
This is wrong and the Jagdeo/ Ramotar cabal must stop this ignominious and dishonest practice if it is to regain the trust and confidence of the people.
The reality has been since Guyana attained its Independence on May 26, 1966, party purity and loyalty have become more important than to employ qualified and experience persons to carry the government tasks.
Once a political party wins, its candidates begin to circle the wagon of political power. The game is essentially about paying back those who made the win possible.
While the noble intentions of politics are “serving the people’s interests,” the first people usually served are those elected, that is, jobs for the boys.
The bigger question is why most of the educated Guyanese with college/university degrees are all over the world and not in Guyana.
The answer, we believe, is that we have never found a way as a society to harness and apply the best and brightness minds to address our nation’s challenges at any one time.
The real sadness of all this is that it does not matter where you come from in society, what your ethnicity is or whether you belong the PPP or the PNC, it was Guyana and the Guyanese taxpayers who have given you a start in life and have prepared you for wherever you now are.
Our continuous poor use of our most qualified personnel is tantamount to perpetrating an injustice on the country which has invested heavily through taxation, blood, sweat and tears in the development of its citizens.
With that said, we always held the view that the real issues we face in Guyana are not only corruption, poverty, crime, joblessness, illegal narcotics trafficking but also injustice! People all over the world have fought and died for their civil rights and against injustice, will Guyanese do!

Dr. Asquith Rose and
Harish S. Singh.

FM

Buying your way out of jail in Guyana

February 1, 2012

 

Buying your way out of jail is a lesson to be learned from the top families in Guyana, Navin Prashad the son of then Minister Manniram Prashad high profile case disappeared from the courts, and more recently President Donald Ramotar son Alexei Ramotar ran down a man with his car and the police failed to even do anything about it, lead police in that accident apparently got a promotion, then Nanda Gopal from Office of the President accident.

 

Kuru Kururu fatal accidentâ€ĶDead

guard’s family accepts $2.5M

settlement from accused

JANUARY 31, 2012 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS

By Michael Jordan

 

 

Relatives of security guard, Ronville Roberts, have accepted a $2.5M settlement from truck driver Sahid Ali,

Dead: Ronville Roberts

who is accused of causing Roberts’s death in an accident last Wednesday on the Soesdyke/Linden highway.
This disclosure was made yesterday when the 29-year-old accused appeared in the Providence Magistrates Court before Magistrate Leslie Sobers on charges of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to render assistance.
Ali’s attorney, Vic Puran, told Magistrate Sobers that his client had agreed to give Roberts’s family $2.5M. The court was also told that the accused had already made an initial payment of $200,000 to the dead guard’s family.
In the presence of the court, Ali then handed over a further $500,000 to the dead man’s reputed wife, Ingrid Schmidt. Puran also requested copies of the case dockets, which he would hand over to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Ali, who had been placed on remand and appeared in court in handcuffs, was then released on $100,000 bail. He is to return to court on March 22.
While the security guard’s relatives have indicated that they are unwilling to pursue the matter concerning his death, the DPP has the final say in deciding whether the charges against the accused will be dropped.
Speaking to Kaieteur News after leaving the court, attorney-at-law Puran said that he will appeal to the DPP to have the charges dropped.
“I will now have to write to the DPP requesting that  she nolle prosequi (bring it to an end) because of the view that my client is prepared to compensate, so that is a factor for her to take into consideration.
“But she could decide that she is proceeding, notwithstanding compensation.
“What has been settled is the civil matterâ€ĶIf the aggrieved persons are disposed to settle the matter, it is up to the DPP to decide whether she agrees to settle or not.“

Accused Sahid Ali

At the suggestion that $2.5M was a relatively paltry sum, and could not give the victims a house, Puran argued that $2.5M “could build a 30×20 three-bedroom concrete house with a toilet and bathroom.”
The victim, 58-year-old Ronville Roberts, is survived by eight children. The youngest is said to be about 11 years old.
But Puran said that neither he nor any other attorney was involved in arranging the financial transaction. Rather, this was done by the accused and the victim’s family. However, Puran said he informed the court of the financial compensation in an effort to be “full and frank.”
The prosecution has alleged that security guard Ronville Roberts, of Kuru Kururu, was cycling along the Soesdyke/Linden highway near his home at around 08:15 hrs last Friday when Sahid Ali, who was driving motor lorry GLL 319, reversed and crushed him.
The prosecution also alleged that the 29-year-old accused drove off, leaving the injured man on the roadway. He reportedly abandoned the truck about four miles from the scene.
Sahid Ali was subsequently identified and charged with causing death by dangerous driving and failing to render assistance. He first appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates Court last Friday.
But attorney-at-law Vic Puran denied that his client had fled from the scene of the accident. According to Puran, Ali had driven away because he was unaware of the accident.
Puran also denied that his client had abandoned his vehicle, and said Ali had gone to buy something to eat. The attorney also argued that it is difficult for a cyclist on the move to collide with a reversing vehicle unless the person sought to commit suicide.
The attorney added that a passenger riding with Ali had told police that at the time of the alleged incident, he was instructing the driver to reverse, and during such time the truck had not been involved in any accidents.
Puran said the police arrested Ali because they noticed blue paint on the bottom of the truck, which appeared to be similar to the blue paint on Robert’s bicycle.
The prosecutor subsequently rebutted Puran’s claim and said that the truck had been identified by eyewitnesses. The prosecution had objected to granting Ali bail.
Suggesting that his client is still not out of the woods, Puran referred to similar cases where the DPP had refused to drop charges even after financial settlements were made.
He cited an August 2009 case in which a client of his was charged with causing the death of two small children, aged 12 and seven, near Tuschen East Bank Essequibo.
Puran explained that although his client, compensated the children’s relatives, the DPP ordered that the criminal proceedings should continue. The accused, Mahendranauth Singh, was eventually freed of the charges.
Kaieteur News had reported in 2010 of several cases in which drivers in causing death matters had their cases dropped after paying various sums to the families of victims.
The ‘compensation packages’ ranged from $5M for the death of the young mother, $600,000 for the death of an eight-year-old girl, and $300,000 for a seven-year-old girl killed on a pedestrian crossing.

FM

Corruption by the Guyana PPP/C

government exposed

 

PPP goon Kwame McCoy accused of running over

another woman with his vehicle

 

October 26, 2011 
 
 

McCoy taking notes from Navin Prashad, the son of Minister of Tourism, who was charged with causing the death of a University student, and that case just disappeared from the courts, then the case of another Office of the President official Nanda Gopal which wasn’t even investigated, and how can we forget about earlier this year when Alexei Ramotar, the son PPP Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar ran down a man and got off, in fact the same investigating police officer got a big raise and promotion a few months after the incident.  Then there is the policeman that was rundown by Minister Kellawan Lall, then once again nothing became of the other incident involving Kellawan Lall hitting down two people on a motorcycle.  The PPP and their cronies commit crimes against the average Guyanese and no one is held accountable.

FM

 

Corruption by the Guyana PPP/C

government exposed

 

The PPP on trial

 

 

October 8, 2012 

The PPP on trial
OCTOBER 8, 2012 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER LETTERS
Dear Editor,
Some in the PPP like to claim how effective the government is, even when little or no evidence of such exists. Moreover, when challenged to provide proof, they create the context, and in some instances turn to propaganda and distortions to justify their self-assessed effectiveness with a view to persuade the masses about how hard they have been toiling on their behalf.
And even when the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime is drowning in their own manufactured hogwash, they become so immune to it that they are not bothered or shaken by the views of the opposition or by the sentiments and perceptions of the people.
This kind of stubbornness and narcissistic behaviour by the PPP regime is bordering on being insensitive to the needs of the youths and the poor and the working class.
The Jagdeo/Ramotar PPP regime is on trial because they have displayed a sense of heartlessness toward the youths and the poor and the working class in Guyana. Based on their actions, we are convinced that the PPP cabal is completely removed from the reality that exists beyond the glass casing that separates them from the masses they pretend to serve.
The truth is that even on their best days their pretence is so obnoxious that they drive away their own supporters in droves. It is indisputable that this type of behaviour by the Jagdeo/ Ramotar regime is predictable and reactive as if they are at a Grand Opera.
The PPP regime has shown total contempt for Parliament and the combined opposition in that the Attorney General Anil Nadalall has not only challenged the no-confidence motion against the Minister of Home Affairs Mr. Rohee in the courts but he and the PPP cabal have also distorted the decision of the Chief Justice Ian Chang in the budget case to mislead the public.
The opposition is aware of this but they have done nothing to prevent the Minister of Finance Ashni Singh from using the Contingency Funds to pay the contract workers at the Office of the President.
The majority opposition must end their lackadaisical posture and stand up and represent the people as Sharma Solomon and Vanessa Kissoon did at Linden. We believe that if the people of Linden had waited for APNU to represent them in the manner Solomon and Kissoon did, they would have waited in vain because it was the leaders of APNU who in April cut backroom deals with the PPP to increase the electricity rates at Linden that led to the protest and the subsequent murders of three unarmed young men.
For one reason, the opposition parties need plenipotentiaries to coordinate their policies and to maintain the same or similar line of argument/criticism against the PPP. For another, both the AFC and APNU should start the process of developing a shadow budget in order to have an estimated amount of the cost of next year’s budget.
It is our understanding that the PPP intends to bloat the budget in excess of $40 billion with the expectation that the opposition will cut part of that amount and still leave them with the required amount needed for fiscal year 2013. And the leader of the Parliamentary opposition who prides himself as a security Czar is yet to present a security plan/bill to Parliament.
The minority PPP-led government has had enough time to improve the standard of living in Guyana but they have failed to demonstrate to the masses that they are the stewards who are worthy of their trust. The regime has had enough time to formulate an economic development plan to create employment for the youths and those willing to work, a crime prevention program, an Anti-Corruption Agency to reduce corruption, and an educational curriculum to shrink the failures at examinations. But so far, the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime has not even come close of achieving any of the above. In fact, the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand should stop masquerading over inconsequential issues such as the flogging of students and focus on the bigger issue of reducing failures to a minimum.
It may appear to Mr. Ramotar and his government that things are hunky-dory, but nothing could be further from the truth—times are extremely hard for the youths and the poor and the working class who are at their wits end to put food on the table. The Jagdeo/Ramotar regime should know by now that the clock is ticking, the tension is building and the poor and the working class are about to explode under the enormous pressure.
These are tough times. Crime and violence, narcotics trafficking and corruption are on the upswing, unemployment continues to rise to new heights, real wages have declined, frustration and misery are peaking, and yet the government seems clueless as to the seriousness and extensiveness of the plight of the poor and the working class. Still, some in the PPP and their wealthy friends appear to live so comfortable that one wonders which country they live in.
In conclusion, for those who continue to harbour doubts about which political party we support, one thing remains clear: we are not beholden to any party. We shall always be guided by truth and honesty. And while we do not aspire to assume any meaningful role, we remain grounded in our conviction and steadfast love for Guyana, sufficient to declare that any criticisms of the opposition are not that we love them less, but that we love Guyana and Guyanese more. Our conscious is our guide.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

FM

Quote Asj:

Cocaine, money laundering and politics in Guyana

June 1, 2013

 

The American reticence on drug trafficking in Guyana has caused widespread consternation among political observers.

How could the Americans be so blind to the political angles?

It had to be the sea breeze that has induced sleep over the past ten years.

 

The American Ambassador told the media

that even if Guyana is given an extension

to comply with money-laundering operations

by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force

at their meeting in Nicaragua,

 

there still may be sanctions against Guyana,

because there has been no successful prosecution of money launderers.

 

The Ambassador must be saying to himself;

“God, not even one.”

 

Who are the Prostitutes,

Pimps, Panty Boys, Drug Lords,

Money Launderers, @unty Men,

Black Thugs, Rapist, Killers,

Thieves, Vultures,

Election Riggers, Ballot Box Thieves,

and Dutty Crab Louse.... 

 

Asj ....De Rev, Hugh-eee, Councie, Big_Seed,

and De Rest of Dem Funny Fella 

must be wondering now why the

US Ambassador singing Bob Marley Song

Like De US Ambassador is a Rasta

FM

And so we have seen

 

the Prostitutes,

Pimps, Panty Boys, Drug Lords,

Money Launderers, @unty Men,

Black Thugs, Rapist, Killers,

Thieves, Vultures,

Election Riggers, Ballot Box Thieves,

and Dutty Crab Louse

 

De Rev, Hugh-eee, Councie, Big_Seed,

and De Rest of Dem Funny Fella 

must be wondering now why the

US Ambassador singing Bob Marley Song

 

 

FM

“God, not even one.”

 

Who are the Prostitutes,

Pimps, Panty Boys, Drug Lords,

Money Launderers, @unty Men,

Black Thugs, Rapist, Killers,

Thieves, Vultures,

Election Riggers, Ballot Box Thieves,

and Dutty Crab Louse.... 

 

Asj ....De Rev, Hugh-eee, Councie, Big_Seed,

and De Rest of Dem Funny Fella 

must be wondering now why 

All the rest of us on GNI

singing "Donna Summers.....Bad Girls "

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd-Kv1iFnB0

 

 

Funny Fellas, 50% Homan & Bad Girls :

No Difference

Jagdeo & Ramotar picking up anyone

and anything... if the Price is Right

FM
Last edited by Former Member

“Guyana: A National Cesspool of Greed, Duplicity & Corruption" (A Remigrant’s Story)

 

 

 

 

 

Guyana: A National Cesspool of

Greed, Duplicity & Corruption (A

Remigrant's Story) Paperback

 
Here is an unsparing account of the dark underbelly that is Guyana today. It is vast, sophisticated, and treacherous. This is not a place for the squeamish or timid. The villains appear in many forms: government bureaucrats, private workers, friends and family members. They squeeze and extort and terrorize the vulnerable and the poor. This story is of financial loss, emotional trauma, and mental anguish. It is one man’s story that is repeated day after day in countless ways. There is no respite. There is little recourse to law and the redress of justice. It is a public secret that is memorialized for the first time. Some will be angered; others will be embarrassed. Still, the truth must be told. And the chips will fall where they will.
 

FM

QUOTE "There is a certain feeling of deep hurt that is felt by the writer, to see how his beloved country has degenerated from his poor boyhood days to the present sorry state. His vivid understandings could not make him silent. He was propelled by that deep feeling of hurt to give exposure and release through the written word. It could be easily seen as one good case of investigative journalism from his personal viewpoint. In other words if we do not tell and document, what we have seen and experienced no one will do so for us."unquote

FM

 

“Guyana: A National Cesspool of Greed, Duplicity & Corruption" (A Remigrant’s Story)

 

The book is a wake-up call to the great damage being done to both the private and public sector of the Guyanese character. It seems that the writer wishes that something be done to the rapid degeneration that is taking place. It will not be easy to stop the downward slide by just one bold and courageous writer, or educator. It was Guyana's national poet Martin Carter who declared that "we are all involved we are all consumed," and that "death must not find us thinking that we die." In other words the battle of exposure must always be continued. Vigilance must be our watchword. The task will not be easy.

Robert H. Mahesh
Author:

FM

Guyana president Donald Ramotar using his office

budget to hide paying PPP cronies big $

Super salaries being paid to do little or nothing, “mostly nothing” – Moses Nagamotoo

 

Attorney-at-law Moses Nagamootoo, who made headlines on Nomination Day when he defected from the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and campaigned for the Alliance for Change, says that the latest revelation coming out of Office of the President has vindicated his position during the recent Budget Cuts.
Nagamootoo coined the phrase ‘fat cats’ in reference to persons at Government agencies being paid huge amounts and while he was unable during the budgetary process to unveil them, he says that the information which has been now made public demonstrates that “Office of the President is running a Dharm Shala for friends and cronies.”
Nagamootoo said that it is clear as day to see that there are persons being paid by Office of the President “to do little or nothing, mostly nothing.”
Nagamootoo, during an interview yesterday, said that it is clear as day to see that there are ‘Sinecure appointments’ (persons past political prime)” being paid by Office of the President as well as numerous Freedom House operatives.
He said that it is unfair of the government to be asking sections of the population such as Linden to take on additional hardships while others are being rewarded for next to nothing with super salaries.
Nagamootoo reminded of a proposal recently to pay cane cutters $800 per punt of cane when others were being paid more than 800 per cent above the average worker.
He said that “it is disgraceful that Office of the President would be running a Dharm Shala for friends and cronies.”
Nagamootoo was adamant that it is equally “disgraceful that this is happening under the watch of a government that champions the working class.”
The AFC Member of Parliament pointed to what he called persons being paid by Office of the President to be ‘ghost writers.”
He identified a David DeGroot and asks, “What else could this man be paid for? What else does he do at Office of the President?” asked Nagamootoo.
He was adamant that this has nothing to do with personal attacks against individuals, but he queried how the Freedom House Secretary, Chitraykha Dass, could be earning more than $250,000 payable from Office of the President.
As the House prepared to debate a motion of no confidence against Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee this past Wednesday, the information was made available as a result of a request by A Partnership for National Unity’s Joseph Harmon.
The APNU Executive Member had requested the names and designations of persons terminated as a result of the 2012 Budgetary Cuts.
The question was posed to Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, where it was revealed that another Freedom House operative is paid almost $400,000.
According to the information which was presented by Dr. Singh in the House on Wednesday, Mahendra Roopnarine, earns $395,000 per month and the salary is paid by Office of the President.
His designation is listed as “Press Undersecretary, OPL” whose salary payable at the end of last month was $395,000.
Roopnarine currently hosts the weekly programme “Getting it Right,” which was previously undertaken by the then Junior Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran.
Roopnarine was also a staple on pro-government television channels during the 2011 Election Campaign.
Controversial Office of the President figure, in the person of the President’s Information Liaison Officer, Kwame McCoy is being paid $334,850 per month. McCoy’s designation is listed as a ‘Communications Coordinator.’
It was also revealed that Government Information Agency (GINA) which had its Budget reduced to $1, pays its Director Neaz Subhan $295,530, while GINA’s Editor-in-Chief Shanta Goberdhan earns $295,460 per month.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon, is listed as being paid by Office of the President, a salary of $895,326 while his Deputy, Hydar Ally is paid $550,064.
Office of the President also pays the son of Former Attorney General, Charles Ramson, $430,196 for the position of Technical Legal Director.
Major General (ret’d) Joseph G Singh who has been retained by Office of the President as a Special Assistant to the President is paid some $667,440 for his services while OP’s Protocol Advisor Eshwar Persaud is paid $268,000.
A Cabinet Monitor Officer named Leroy Cort also earns from Office of the President some $155,628.
“Presidential Pol. Liaison Officer” Chitraykha Dass earns $255,000 for his services while Parliamentarian Reverend Kwame Gilbert also receives $294, 585 for his services as a ‘Community Develop. (Social Policy Officer).’
Cheddi Jagan 11, the Attorney-at-Law earns from Office of the President $489,666.
Desmond Kissoon, the Presidential Political Liaison Officer Region Nine, earns some $280,000 while Clive Lloyd, the President’s Advisor on Sports earns $721,000 in this capacity.
Reepu Daman Persaud the ailing Pandit is listed on the June payroll for Office of the President to receive $412,320 for his services as an Advisor to the President while former Regional Chairman for Region Six, Zulfikar Mustapha earns for himself as Head, Community Relations Liaison Officer some $307,600.
Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira, earns for herself $967,985 from Office of the President in that capacity, a salary greater than her boss Dr. Luncheon.

This was the same way Bharrat Jagdeo was hiding the big money he was paying Alexei Ramotar

 

FM

 

Guyana president Donald Ramotar using his

office

budget to hide paying PPP cronies big $

 

According to the information which was presented by Dr. Singh in the House on Wednesday, Mahendra Roopnarine, earns $395,000 per month and the salary is paid by Office of the President.
His designation is listed as “Press Undersecretary, OPL” whose salary payable at the end of last month was $395,000.
Roopnarine currently hosts the weekly programme “Getting it Right,” which was previously undertaken by the then Junior Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran.
Roopnarine was also a staple on pro-government television channels during the 2011 Election Campaign.
Controversial Office of the President figure, in the person of the President’s Information Liaison Officer, Kwame McCoy is being paid $334,850 per month. McCoy’s designation is listed as a ‘Communications Coordinator.’
It was also revealed that Government Information Agency (GINA) which had its Budget reduced to $1, pays its Director Neaz Subhan $295,530, while GINA’s Editor-in-Chief Shanta Goberdhan earns $295,460 per month.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon, is listed as being paid by Office of the President, a salary of $895,326 while his Deputy, Hydar Ally is paid $550,064.
Office of the President also pays the son of Former Attorney General, Charles Ramson, $430,196 for the position of Technical Legal Director.
Major General (ret’d) Joseph G Singh who has been retained by Office of the President as a Special Assistant to the President is paid some $667,440 for his services while OP’s Protocol Advisor Eshwar Persaud is paid $268,000.
A Cabinet Monitor Officer named Leroy Cort also earns from Office of the President some $155,628.
“Presidential Pol. Liaison Officer” Chitraykha Dass earns $255,000 for his services while Parliamentarian Reverend Kwame Gilbert also receives $294, 585 for his services as a ‘Community Develop. (Social Policy Officer).’


Cheddi Jagan 11, the Attorney-at-Law earns from Office of the President $489,666.


Desmond Kissoon, the Presidential Political Liaison Officer Region Nine, earns some $280,000 while Clive Lloyd, the President’s Advisor on Sports earns $721,000 in this capacity.
Reepu Daman Persaud the ailing Pandit is listed on the June payroll for Office of the President to receive $412,320 for his services as an Advisor to the President while former Regional Chairman for Region Six, Zulfikar Mustapha earns for himself as Head, Community Relations Liaison Officer some $307,600.
Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira, earns for herself $967,985 from Office of the President in that capacity, a salary greater than her boss Dr. Luncheon.

This was the same way Bharrat Jagdeo was hiding the big money he was paying Alexei Ramotar

 

Well this is the PPP/C for you: They pays themselves top Salary, and yet they covet the peoples house lots and sells to their friends and cronies, leaving the poor people to live in squatted  lands.

 

How much more lower and corrupt can the PPP/C gets????????

 

FM
Originally Posted by Mitwah:

Major General (ret’d) Joseph G Singh who has been retained by Office of the President as a Special Assistant to the President is paid some $667,440 for his services

 

What does he really do?

As Moses says, and he is the man in the know:

 

Super salaries being paid to do little or nothing, “mostly nothing” – Moses Nagamotoo

FM

The question was posed to Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, where it was revealed that another Freedom House operative is paid almost $400,000.
According to the information which was presented by Dr. Singh in the House on Wednesday, Mahendra Roopnarine, earns $395,000 per month and the salary is paid by Office of the President.
His designation is listed as “Press Undersecretary, OPL” whose salary payable at the end of last month was $395,000.

 

 

 

What dat mean, press under da secretary? Is who pressin who?

cain
Originally Posted by asj:

Next:

Guyana president Donald Ramotar

using his office budget

to hide paying Fat Cats, Big Poke

and Crab Louse big $$$$$$

 

David Degroot -  

Crab Louse/Ghost Writer

 

 Gail Taxiera

Fat-Cat $967,985

Mahendra Roopnarine
Freedom House Operative

$395,000 per month

 

Kwame McCoy

Presidential Information Liason Officer

$334,850 per month

Chitraykha Dass - 

Freedom House Secretary

$250,000 per month

Shanta Goberdan

GINA Editor-in-Chief

$295,460 per month

Neaz Subhan

Gina Director

$295,530 per Month

Odinga Lamumba

Black House of Israel Thug

Dr Roger Luncheon

Head President Secretariat

$895,326 per month

Hydar Ally

Deputy Head President Secretariat

$550,064 per month

Office of the President

 Running a Dharam Shala

for Friends and Cronies

Charles Ramson Jr

Technical Legal Director

$430,196 per month

Joseph Singh

Special Assistant to the President

$667,440 per month

Eshwar Persaud

OP's Protocol Advisor

$268,000 per month

Kit Nascimento

Special Advisor

Leroy Cort

Cabinet Monitor Officer

$155,628 per month

Chitraykha Dass

Presidential Political Liason Officer

$255,000 per month

Kwame Gilbert

Social Policy Officer

$294,585 per Month

Hamilton

Black House Of Isreal Thug

Cheddi Jagan 11

(Joey Son)

$489,666 per month

Desmond Kissoon

President Political Liaison Officer Region 9

$280,000

Clive Lloyd

Presidential Advisor on Sports

$721,000 per month

Norman McClean

Advisor

Zulfikar Mustapha

Head, Community Relations Liaison Officer

$307,600 per Month

Philip Bynoe

Black House of Israel Thug

 

Pay Sugar Workers G$800. per punt

while others are paid more than 

800% above the average worker....

 

 

 

FM

TWO SAINTS OR THE DEVIL?

 

History will not be kind to Juan Edghill, a disgusting man who continues to feed shamelessly from the PPPC trough of greed, murder and corruption. A man who, as Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission (“ERC&rdquo, was complicit in the evil PPPC’s plan to disenfranchise Africans in Guyana; a man who watched silently as Africans were summarily and undeservedly dismissed from their positions in the Public Service sector, were excluded from the economic development of Guyana, were ignored and considered “unqualified” to represent the country as diplomats, saw their children murdered in extrajudicial killings ordered by the PPPC government, and more. Juan Edghill must give account to his god, if believe in a god he does, and to the citizens of Guyana for the evil which his actions endorsed.

This man Edghill, who shamelessly calls himself Bishop, dares accuse the leaders of the Parliamentary Majority of continuing “to speak with forked tongues making excuses for their reckless, vindictive and unprovoked actions.” Much can be said about the budget cuts, but reckless, vindictive and unprovoked are the last terms that fair-minded Guyanese would use to describe the Parliamentary Majority’s move to make the abusive minority PPPC government finally accountable to the Guyanese people.

FM

‘The Thomas Carroll Affair’ revisited - American

 

author launches book highlighting greed and crime in

 

Guyana
June 26, 2013 | By KNews | Filed Under News



New York-based writer David Casavis on Tuesday last, released, “The Thomas Carroll Affairâ€Ķ A journey through the cottage industry of illegal immigration.” The book deals specifically, with events that occurred during 1998 to 2000; when Thomas Patrick Carroll, a United States citizen, serving as a Foreign Service officer with the United States State Department and appointed vice-counsel in the United States Embassy here in Guyana, developed and carried out an immigration visa fraud operation, which facilitated scores of people, especially those of the underworld, getting into the U.S. illegally.

Carroll’s cover was blown in 2000 when the American government got their hands on him, subsequently imprisoning him and his associates. He is due out of prison within hours. The author cited the book as a historical record that speaks prior to the Guyana Elections of 2006. In putting it together, he said he was consistent in refusing information about what transpired after 2001, subsequent to Carroll’s detention, because he wanted to preserve the book’s authenticity. He said too that, the story is of a lost community and lost hope.

FM

‘The Thomas Carroll Affair’ revisited - American author launches book highlighting greed and crime in Guyana
June 26, 2013 | By KNews | Filed Under News: Continues....... 

 

“It is the story of a small, corrupt country (Guyana) and how an American Embassy official looted it.” Casavis passionately writes about how lives were changed, the consequences of those events, and the victims of a scheme in a country, ‘made poorer.’ He charged in the book’s introduction that America is an opportunity for the poor. Poor countries need a skilled workforce. Better wages, upward mobility and humane working hours are the rewards of a burgeoning economy, but those rewards, he forwarded, disappear when supply and demand is altered. “If a world without opportunity sees thieves and rapists slipping across the borders through bribery, skilled and educated professionals will follow. Poor countries lose ground too. This is the Thomas Carroll legacy.”

With the ‘twist of fate’ meeting of two unlikely people, the book describes the actions of ‘a bandit and a US diplomat, along with their gangs,’ as combining to ‘shake a little country to its rootsâ€Ķ channeling a sense of injustice and rage into violence, ’ while the other ‘threw a spotlight on official corruption.’

In his book, Casavis listed principal characters who actually played a significant part in the events of the late ‘90s early 2000s; Thomas Carroll, the foreign officer who served in that capacity not only in Guyana, but in China and Taiwan; Lance Corporal Linden London, also known as ‘Blackie’ (now deceased), was a soldier in the Special Forces Squadron of the Guyana Defence Force, while Deputy Superintendent of Police Leon Fraser (now deceased) was a member of the Target Special Squad or ‘Black Clothes Police.’ CN Sharma is the owner and operator of Channel six television, also a self made millionaire once active in politics. Vince Principe was the head of the Visa section at the Embassy. He reported to James Mack, the Ambassador at the time. Eton Cordis and Jason Azaria are two Guyanese who worked at the Embassy at the time, while Paul James ,who ran a hardware store in Georgetown, Haleem Khan, Rajesh Persaud, ‘Jerry’, Donna Dos Santos and Roy Singh were visa brokers. Laurie Lewis (now deceased) was the Police Commissioner at the time, Joe DeAgrella, was a diamond merchant in the city and Rhonda Forde, (now deceased) was ‘Blackie’s’ girlfriend.

FM
Originally Posted by JB:

That man is not a real Bishop. He is a quack Bishop. Only Ramotar/Jagdeo/irfan/Nehru/Rev/Luncheon/Priya/Ashni/Ramsammy think he is a Bishop.   


JB As we had stated earlier that the current PPP/C is not the Party that was created by the Jagans. These bunch of crooks that calls themselves the PPP/C is faked just like the Bishop, and all those House of Israel Thugs who were deemed to be murderers during the time of the House of Israel Honcho.

FM

‘The Thomas Carroll Affair’

 

Was Rohee involved in this Visa Racket, was that why his visa was revoked

 

Georgetown, Guyana: June 25, 2013 – Guyana’s Attorney General Anil Nandlall admitted today what even those paying mild attention to the PPPC government already know: the PPPC government does not have the WILL to prosecute big criminal fish, including money launderers and narco-traffickers. Indeed, many of these criminals are political cronies of the Jagdeo-PPPC cabal, fully embraced, employed and partnered with the PPPC regime; they are safe from honest Guyanese police. Case in point, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, in May 2013, announced the names of ten civilians to oversee the implementation of the Guyana Police Force’s strategic plan. This team was to be led by a former police officer, US Embassy employee and disgraced money launderer and visa trafficker, Mr. Patrick Mentore.

 

AAh Mr Patrick Mentore: Was there a link between Rohee and Mentore?

FM

 Case in point, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, in May 2013, announced the names of ten civilians to oversee the implementation of the Guyana Police Force’s strategic plan. This team was to be led by a former police officer, US Embassy employee and disgraced money launderer and visa trafficker, Mr. Patrick Mentore.

 

So with this  bit of statement we know that Patrick Mentore was allegedly appointed by PPP/C Rohee:

FM

Rohee/PPP alleged connection to the Thomas Carroll visa sale

 

Mentore’s sordid exploits are referenced in gory detail in David Casavis’ recent book, “The Thomas Carroll Affair”. Even according to that book, Patrick Mentore worked for the biggest alien smuggler in Guyana of his time, Mr. Haleem Khan, and provided clients to disgraced US Embassy staffer, Mr. Thomas Carroll. Mentore’s responsibilities also coordinated “Black Clothes” protection for Carroll, accessed protected phone records, and was even asked to ensure that a certain petty criminal who ran afoul of Carroll was punished. Mentore’s deep involvement in corruption, fraud, money laundering and alien smuggling are also well documented in US court records in the Thomas Carroll case, in which Carroll was sentenced to serve 21 years in prison.



Despite this recent and public history, the Honourable Clement Rohee and the PPPC government trust Patrick Mentore to oversee desperately needed police reforms. Guyanese citizens should wonder how compromised Clement Rohee and the PPPC must be to enlist a known criminal to lead a police reform committee. Honest Guyanese should also realise that those reforms would regard the very laws that Mentore broke for money. Recently, this same Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, referred to law and order being precarious because of the actions of the Opposition and known activist actions. What undermines the fabric of society more, however, than when the very Minister openly mocks efforts at reform by the appointment of a criminal like Mentore?

FM
Originally Posted by asj:
Originally Posted by JB:

That man is not a real Bishop. He is a quack Bishop. Only Ramotar/Jagdeo/irfan/Nehru/Rev/Luncheon/Priya/Ashni/Ramsammy think he is a Bishop.   


JB As we had stated earlier that the current PPP/C is not the Party that was created by the Jagans. These bunch of crooks that calls themselves the PPP/C is faked just like the Bishop, and all those House of Israel Thugs who were deemed to be murderers during the time of the House of Israel Honcho.

 

I agree Mr ASJ. Mr Hoyte jailed Rabbi Washington and Mr Taps. Mrs Janet Jagan released them. The PPP is not the same PPP of old.

FM

To make a long story short, we reflect,  

 

Carroll reportedly sold over 800 US visas at a price of between US$10,000 and $15,000 each. Thomas Carroll was found guilty and sentenced to a total of 21 years imprisonment in 2002. He was 38 years old at the time. During the investigations, federal agents raided his house and found large amounts of cash and gold bars; they also found out that Carroll operated about seven bank accounts. The sentence was later slashed by half to 11 years.
We know that Rohee Appointee oversees the gang that was working for Caroll.
We know that these fraud happened right under the nose of PPP/C
Were they a party to it? your guess is as good as mine
 
  
FM

 

‘Visa fraudster’ and ‘Money Launderer’ Patrick Mentore is being protected by Rohee and the PPP

 

By Staff Writer

June 26, 2013

 

(OneVoice Guyana)
Georgetown, Guyana: June 25, 2013 – Guyana’s Attorney General Anil Nandlall admitted today what even those paying mild attention to the PPPC government already know: the PPPC government does not have the WILL to prosecute big criminal fish, including money launderers and narco-traffickers. Indeed, many of these criminals are political cronies of the Jagdeo-PPPC cabal, fully embraced, employed and partnered with the PPPC regime; they are safe from honest Guyanese police. Case in point, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, in May 2013, announced the names of ten civilians to oversee the implementation of the Guyana Police Force’s strategic plan. This team was to be led by a former police officer, US Embassy employee and disgraced money launderer and visa trafficker, Mr. Patrick Mentore.

Mentore’s sordid exploits are referenced in gory detail in David Casavis’ recent book, “The Thomas Carroll Affair”. Even according to that book, Patrick Mentore worked for the biggest alien smuggler in Guyana of his time, Mr. Haleem Khan, and provided clients to disgraced US Embassy staffer, Mr. Thomas Carroll. Mentore’s responsibilities also coordinated “Black Clothes” protection for Carroll, accessed protected phone records, and was even asked to ensure that a certain petty criminal who ran afoul of Carroll was punished. Mentore’s deep involvement in corruption, fraud, money laundering and alien smuggling are also well documented in US court records in the Thomas Carroll case, in which Carroll was sentenced to serve 21 years in prison.

Despite this recent and public history, the Honourable Clement Rohee and the PPPC government trust Patrick Mentore to oversee desperately needed police reforms. Guyanese citizens should wonder how compromised Clement Rohee and the PPPC must be to enlist a known criminal to lead a police reform committee. Honest Guyanese should also realise that those reforms would regard the very laws that Mentore broke for money. Recently, this same Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, referred to law and order being precarious because of the actions of the Opposition and known activist actions. What undermines the fabric of society more, however, than when the very Minister openly mocks efforts at reform by the appointment of a criminal like Mentore?

It must also be noted that Mentore’s boss, Haleem Khan, was sentenced to three years prison time in the United States for his crimes. Yet, his Guyanese political friends allowed him to hold on to his property and cash. He still lives a cozy life in his mansion in Guyana, and several automobiles. This reminds of the properties of convicted drug dealer, Roger Khan, whose properties in Guyana remain protected by the Jagdeo-PPPC cabal.

Who could ever take Mohabir Anil Nandlall and Clement James Rohee seriously when not only does the PPPC administration not prosecute these criminals, but they co-opt and employ them, and cavort and form business partnerships with them? The time has come for Guyanese citizens, civil society and Guyanese media to get serious about democracy and the rule of law in Guyana.

The PPPC is a corrupt regime. Even longtime PPP supporters now say openly that the Jagdeo-PPPC cabal’s ministers are criminals accepting bribes, and kickbacks, and forming secret business partnerships to enrich themselves while the honest Guyanese suffer high electricity prices, disastrous roads, low quality schools, no running water to their homes, and a constant rape of the taxpayer-funded treasury. Guyanese society must wake up and demand change before it is too late.

FM

 

Berbice the land of blackouts

 

April 15, 2013
 

One can only marvel at the astounding incompetence of this entity


APRIL 14, 2013 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER LETTERS

 

Once again the power supply in Berbice has descended to an absolutely horrific and atrocious level. This past week, there have been so many blackouts that I’ve lost count. On Monday, we had blackout for several hours.

What’s going on in Berbice with Guyana Power & Light’s(GPL) operations? One can only marvel at the astounding incompetence and inability of this entity to fix a system that has been broken for many, many year.
Likewise, one can only marvel at the callous, don’t-care attitude of the PPP, which, although being in power for over twenty years, has done nothing to remedy the unreliable power supply and bring relief to the people of this county. The PPP has, instead, chosen to demonize opposition members, dole out super-salaries, contracts, and radio stations to its friends and other “fat cats,” and fight for the rights of the rich, all at the expense of the majority of Guyanese who struggle to make a decent living, and who are frustrated at every turn by the regular blackouts that occur.

So here’s the solution. Call for a snap election and let’s vote the PPP out of office, and simultaneously get rid of the senior management at GPL that earns millions of dollars for doing nothing to tangibly improve the power supply. Nothing else will do.

And at the forefront of the wave to drive the PPP out of power will be the former sleeping Berbicians, who have finally awoken and realized that all the promises made by the PPP are false and unattainable under the current pack of jokers leading this country.
Berbice will rise, and the same slave songs that drove Cuffy to rebel against the oppressors of his day will guide us all as we go to the polls and choose a better future under the APNU/AFC government for our children and grandchildren.

FM

Quote "And at the forefront of the wave to drive the PPP out of power will be the former sleeping Berbicians, who have finally awoken and realized that all the promises made by the PPP are false and unattainable under the current pack of jokers leading this country." unquote

 

Not only Berbice, but there is blackout all over Guyana.

 

Compliments PPP/c

FM

The PPP has made life unbearable for the poor

November 21, 2012 
 
 

Punishing Poor People Continuously

 

NOVEMBER 21, 2012 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER LETTERS

 

 

Dear Editor,
Since knowing ourselves, Guyana has always been a country in political turmoil, the struggle for independence, the struggle for free and fair elections and today the struggle for good governance and against a system that rewards corruption and penalizes those who want to play by the rules.
Throughout our history all these experiences have taught us that life for the poor and the working class remains almost unbearable. Even the small business and peasant class “catching fire” under this Jagdeo/Ramotar regime.
If one is to observe the comments coming out of Berbice on the issue of blackout under this PPP regime it is a clear that day to day life in Guyana remains painful and no amount of PPP propaganda can erase the burning in the belly of the people.
Sukhai, a farmer said in Stabroek News What the people Say Column, “This blackout is very terrible because when the current goes on and offâ€Ķ our appliances get burn and damage â€Ķ.. and we do not receive any refund from GPL.” Sukhai further stated as a poultry farmer, “â€Ķ. when the current goes off these chicken suffer.”
But stay with us and listen to Sukhai. Sukhai revealed a reality that the ordinary people in PPP Guyana face every day when he said “â€Ķwhile there is blackout during the day and the pipe is running it (the water) cuts off. We do not have water to use and this is really bad for the people in Berbice.”
Thank you Mr. Sukhai for speaking your truth and for exposed several cases of irrational underdevelopment because of poor governance and corruption under the PPP namely:
1. The PPP executes capital (fund) punishment on this farmer by damaging his appliances resulting in him spending what he does not have, on new appliances. This is the PPP formula to keep Sukhai in perpetual poverty. He did not damage his TV; GPL and by extension the PPP did but they refuse to refund him for his loss of wealth.
2. As his chicken dies as a result of poor electricity supply, his ability to multiply his wealth is put at risk by the PPP. Thus his return on his investment reduces with every chicken that dies as a result of blackouts. Under the PPP this farmer is not guaranteed a fixed rate of return for his investment and labour.
However this same PPP has guaranteed the rate of return for all the mega-investors in Guyana (the Marriot Hotel investors, the Berbice Bridge investors, the Amaila Fall project investors and even Buddy Shivraj when he invested in the Princess Hotel). No risk for the rich friends, family and business buddies of the ruling Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal. This is the PPP brand of working class party for you!
3. Water is life; at least that is what the United Nations tells us. However, under the PPP, potable water remains a luxury that is not easily accessible in the land of many water. Water is a critical element for every family and if you do not have reliable access to water, then you cannot run a poultry farmer properly; much less manage a family satisfactorily. The risk posed by denying this farmer water in times of Blackout has to be responded to by the majority in Parliament.
A motion must be passed demanding a full, independent and transparent investigation of the operations of GPL.
It is time the leadership from all political forces including the back benchers in the PPP, rise up and demand justice for the people of Berbice. Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha and his side-kick Mr. Jafarally, who like to flounce on Berbice TV to sing the praises of the PPP should wake up from their slumber and stop telling the people Alice in Wonderland stories. All is not well in Berbice.
They’re living in a world of their own and they’re trying to reduce the rest of us to the same condition of losing touch with reality. We call on the AFC to highlight the real suffering of the Berbicians to all of Guyana, especially in those areas that the PPP thinks they got tribal rights.
Let us bring the nation back to its centre of gravity where the people more actively resist non-violently the oppressors in the current regime, just like how they resisted the colonialist and the Burnham dictatorship.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

FM

Auditor General’s findings on Region One just the tip of the iceberg

 

November 12, 2012 

 

Auditor General’s findings on Region One just the tip of the iceberg
NOVEMBER 11, 2012 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER LETTERS

Dear Editor,
I am not surprised at the findings of the Auditor General with regards to the Contracts in Region 1. I am sorry but what has been disclosed is only the tip of the iceberg. Corruption in Region 1 is so rife. To get to the fishy deals, one has to travel up into the riverain areas where some buildings the size of fowl pens are called schools and teachers’ quarters. Yet the contract prices are astronomical. One only has to check the amounts paid for materials for building/repairing roads. Where are the roads?
There is a fuel depot at Morawhanna and yet the Administration purchases fuel from middle men. Morawhanna is across the pond from the Mabaruma Compound.
How is it that one previous REO collected accounts from some business people and some time after, turned up with cash to pay them. Has the Sub Treasury become mobile?
Like I mentioned, the Auditor’s report is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a huge chunk below surface, the likes of what ripped the Titanic open and caused it to sink.
Dig deeper.

FM

Ramotar administration is a mirror image of the

corruption, thievery, drugs & nepotism that were

the hallmark of the Jadgeo

Donald Ramotar has lived up to the expectations of his detractors

 

November 4, 2012

 

It was clear to many political observers and other interested parties that the Peoples Progressive Party Civic, did not field the best candidate at the November 2011 elections. The critics at that time argued that Ramotar was weak and an untested; that he was not a critical thinker and had never held elected office or managed any complex governmental or non-governmental organization. Ramotar was perceived as a party hack, who was hand chosen by then president Bharatt Jagdeo, for all of the reasons mentioned.
However, in keeping with Stalinist tradition the other more prepared and credible candidates all bowed out and acceded to the dictate of the Jagdeo faction at Freedom House. To be fair there were voices that championed the candidacy of Donald Ramotar, they claimed that he was a man who had come from humble beginnings and was involved in the labour movement, that he was a fair and honest man; in other words he was not Jagdeo. Today as we approach the one year anniversary of the Ramotar presidency what I find interesting but not surprising is that the naysayers were right. Donald Ramotar the seventh president of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana has lived up to the expectations of his detractors; he is a weak, ineffective and visionless head of state.
In December 2011 at his inauguration president Ramotar told the nation that he would appoint his cabinet in two days and even flirted with the possibility of a cross-party government. Integrity, inclusivity and impartiality were the hallmark of a well balanced inaugural address; however, forty eight hours later Ramotar retained his predecessor’s cabinet, dashing all hopes for inclusivity, integrity and impartiality.
Within days of forming his new government, on December 6th 2011 peaceful demonstrators were shot by the police while processing in Georgetown. This was followed by a bitter budget debate that saw for the first time in recorded history a sitting government picketing against the parliamentary opposition. Ramotar had promised that he was prepared to work together with all the political parties and stakeholders, but when it came to the National Budget, his minority government was not prepared to work with the Parliamentary majority APNU/AFC.
The budget crisis spawned the Linden electricity crisis, when the PPPC government imposed on the people of Linden an undue hardship (an increase in the electric tariff), without negotiating or consulting with the peoples representatives. In his inaugural address president Ramotar spoke of the exciting task of creating opportunities for all Guyanese, yet within three months of taking office he was imposing a draconian tax on a community (Linden) where 70% of the people are unemployed or severely under-employed.
It was becoming quite clear that the new Head of State’s rhetoric were equidistant from his actions and his government’s treatment of the poor and depressed communities. As the situation escalated at Linden and the people and their Regional and national leaders called on the president to meet with them, to sit down and listen and consult, this president refused. Then came July 18th 2012 and three young men were brutally murdered after the Guyana Police Force again opened fire on peaceful protestors at the Mackenzie-Linden bridge.
The following day the president met with the Opposition Leader and Regional representatives, but by this time it was too late; property would be destroyed and more people would be shot by the police, all because of a government’s refusal to meet it constitutional mandate of consulting with the people and their elected representatives. Consumed by crisis, and showing no real flair for bold and innovative leadership, the Ramotar administration continued as a mirror image of the corruption, thievery, drugs and nepotism that were the hallmark of the Jadgeo years.
Once again innocents lives of young African men were taken, killed at the hands of the police; Shaquille Grant at Agricola; Dameon Belgrave in Georgetown.
In a side note, it was no surprise a few days ago that the longest serving member of the cabinet and president Ramotar’s Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee admitted under oath, when answering a question from Attorney Basil Williams(at the Linden Commission of Inquiry), that he(Rohee) was not a visionary. So, with a head of state that has proven to be weak, ineffective and visionless, surrounded by a cabinet that is mediocre for the most part, but generally less than stellar there is not much hope for the ensuing period of the Ramotar presidency.
Mr. Editor I truly searched for something complimentary to say about this period, but all I could find was controversy and conflict. In a country where most of the people would be classified as poor, the Ramotar government celebrates things and calibrates its development based on big buildings, poorly conceived roads and brand name hotels rather than human development.
The level of unemployment in this country is unsustainable, the under education of our children and the school dropout rate nationally is unsustainable, the crime situation and the lawlessness of our law enforcement agencies is unsustainable, yet this president has been deathly silent and has failed to lead on all of these important issues facing our nation.
Even if one graded on a curve it would be difficult to give this president anything but a failing grade in his first year in office.


Mark Archer

 

 

FM

Kaieteur News insists many secret deals signed

by Bharrat Jagdeo

March 1, 2012 
 
 

FEBRUARY 29, 2012 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS

 

Dishonest, vulgar and deceitful are just some of the words members of the wider society are using to describe the government’s contention that its transactions have all been transparent and that there has been no secrecy.
On Saturday, last, the government through its News Agency, issued a statement seeking to lambaste Kaieteur News for its report that the government had signed a secret deal with Ansa McAl of Trinidad and Tobago for 110,000 hectares (approximately 425 square miles) of land in the Canje Basin.
Kaieteur News got wind of this deal through the Trinidad Guardian and insisted that the nation was unaware of the deal between Government and the Trinidad company.
Angry at the Kaieteur News report, the Government Information Agency (GINA) wrote, “The Government of Guyana (GoG) rejects the continued misrepresentation of the Kaieteur News of the various government projects and initiatives which seek to transform the country. The latest being the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Guyana and Ansa Mcal Group on the exploring the possibility of ethanol production in Guyana.(sic)”
“In July 2010, the GoG through public tendering awarded a contract to NUMARK Associates Inc. of the United States for the Service Consultancy to expand Bio Energy Opportunities in Guyana. As part of the Terms of Reference, NUMARK was tasked with compiling a list of potential Bio Energy Investors who may be interested in investing in Guyana.”
But when contacted, Rodrigo Chaparro, Vice President in charge of Sustainable Energy Strategies at NUMARK Associates Incorporated, said that it was tasked with advising on what policies and laws would be needed to create an environment that would attract investments in bio-energy.
The government said, “Based on the NUMARK’s report and the proposals received from investors, ANSA McAl was selected after their proposal was scrutinized by technical experts in the field of Bio Energy, which was subsequently approved and signed on September 30, 2011 and witnessed by representatives of the Government and ANSA McAL.
“To suggest this was a secret deal is not only misleading but a gross misrepresentation of the reality and part of the continued campaign to cast aspersions on the PPP/C Government.”
NUMARK stated that it was made aware through information posted on the web site of the Inter American Development Bank. The people of Guyana would not have been aware of the posting since the general population does not scour the web sites of international organizations.
To further highlight the secrecy of the deal, the government, despite sending its representatives to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with Ansa McAl, never announced that it had completed a Memorandum of Understanding. It also failed to make the signing public either through GINA, Office of the President or by way of press conferences.
The opposition parties were all unaware of this development as was the rest of the nation. The deal was indeed secret. Guyana was made aware through a publication in the Trinidad Guardian, four months after the government said that it signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
And the only response to the disclosure on the part of the government was a GINA statement criticizing the Kaieteur News disclosure of the deal.
The government said that “the impending project to modernize and expand the airport, the plan to construct the Marriott Hotel and the on-going One Laptop per Family project,” were also not secret deals.
“In all of these cases, the accusation of lack of transparency was refuted. All of these projects were developed through a public procurement process. The Government challenges any publication or political group to show where these projects were done in secret and not consistent with our various laws and regulations.”
The nation was made aware of the airport project by way of a publication in the Jamaica Observer long after the signing. After the Kaieteur News publication the government contacted the Jamaica-based headquarters of the Chinese company, China Harbour Engineering Company, contracted to expand the runway and modify the airport terminal building.
The spokesperson for China Harbour Engineering, one day after the Kaieteur News publication, duly referred all queries to the Guyana Government. Public Relations Officer of CHEC in Jamaica, Jennifer Harmon, said that she was asked by her company not to reveal any more information about the project and that in fact her decision to reveal the signing to the Jamaica Observer was ill-advised.
She said that the Guyana Government would release any information to the media.
The project was not open to bidding, since no such advertisement was placed on the government’s procurement website under the Ministry of Public Works through which the airport is administered.
Further, it was only in August 2011, Regional Director of CHEC, Zhongdong Tang, said that the company had a team in Guyana, and other countries, “looking for opportunities.” But GINA stated that the project was first announced “several months” ago.
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo when confronted disclosed never before heard details of the project.
The Marriott Hotel deal was another that the nation learnt through a foreign media. So too was the talk with the Grenada-based Zublin. Head od the Privatisation Unit, Winston Brassington was livid that Zublin released details of its talk with the government.
There were many other secret deals. One was for an Indian company for land in Guyana. Guyanese learnt of this through India Times. Among others were the Sanata Complex, MovieTowne and the land distribution process to housing developers.

FM

Crime, bad governance and Guyana’s image

September 2, 2009

 

President Jagdeo actually called on the business community to boycott the Kaieteur News when he told them that this newspaper harms the image of the country by sensationalizing crime on its front page yet businesses advertise with Kaieteur News.

 

Strange, the President of a country should be urging a boycott of a newspaper in his nation when all three opposition parties are boycotting the country’s Parliament.

 

It means the Government is not seen in good light by the combined opposition which represents almost half of the electorate that voted at the last election.


Let us start with crime. I went to the archives of the Jamaican newspapers and it was not an accurate description that Mr. Jagdeo painted at the Private Sector Commission dinner last Friday. There are many front page stories on crime. They are so numerous that it is not necessary to even dwell on this topic any further.

 

I went searching the internet and I found that even the British broad-sheets carry violent stories on their front pages, including serious hate-crimes.


Back to the boycott business. If investors should stop advertising with Kaieteur News, can President Jagdeo answer the question - was the reporting on crime the reason his government stopped placing advertisement with the Stabroek News? The answer is no?

Mr. Jagdeo’s explanation was that the Stabroek had less circulation than other newspapers and the state had to get value for its money.

 

Only Kaieteur News had a larger circulation than Stabroek’s therefore the bulk of the placements should have gone to those two papers with Chronicle being banished.

 

Now the Guyana Times has joined the Chronicle in getting a majority of the state’s advertising assignments. The conclusion that could be drawn is that it is not the shape of Kaieteur News’ crime reporting that worries Mr. Jagdeo.

 

It is what the Stabroek News got victimized for in the first place – reporting on bad governance, corruption and incompetence of the Government to stop an escalating crime pandemonium.


The boycott call will no doubt end up in the hands of the human rights group in New York, Freedom House.

Mr. Jagdeo has boasted three times of Freedom House’s classification of Guyana being number 30 on its list of countries practicing press freedom.

What is Mr. Jagdeo going to do and how is he going to feel when Guyana loses that number 30 spot for a miserable categorization? 

 

I have always maintained that Mr. Jagdeo should study his concepts before he publicly delivers them.

 

Mr. Jagdeo has found himself in a glaring cul-de-sac when he exclaimed that Kaieteur News is damaging the image of the country and deterring would-be returnees.

 

I wonder if Mr. Jagdeo knows that in making that assertion he is in fact saying that the Guyana Times and the Chronicle have failed.


In making that indictment against Kaieteur News, the President has actually informed the investors who were listening to him that Kaieteur News reaches a lot of people in and out of Guyana.

 

Why then should business people not advertise with Kaieteur News?

 

The very value for money thesis that Mr. Jagdeo used against the Stabroek News has come back to haunt him.

Why should the business community not advertise with Kaieteur News when their profits depend on purchasing power of consumers and other types of buyers and its is common sense for business people to inform buyers on what they have to offer.


A simple example should suffice. I have a new spray that kills mosquitoes more effectively. Why go for an advertisement in the Chronicle rather than the Kaieteur News when the President himself says that the Kaieteur News has an extensive influence on the Guyanese people.

I am sure after they would have eaten their food and while driving home with their spouses, the investors would know which paper reaches a wider audience.

 

Mr. Jagdeo achieved the opposite of what he intended.


Finally, the automatic question comes to the lips of everyone after they would have read what Mr. Jagdeo said about the negative effect Kaieteur News’ crime reporting has on the country’s image.

 

What about bad governance?

 

What about drug-trafficking in Guyana in which only when the big fishes travel abroad they are arrested?

 

What about the spending habit of some public servants who in just a few years can buy the types of houses only American millionaires could afford?


The truth about what was said at that dinner last Friday night about the Kaieteur News is that the word government was substituted for country.

 

It is the Government’s so-called image this newspaper is hurting not the country’s.

 

An image badly tattered by unbelievable and incredible corruption.

FM

No one fits that image in the PPP/C today, not even Ramotar, Jagdoe. The PPP/C are controlled by liars, corruptable, thieves, and untrustworthy Politician.

 

Will anyone in their right mind vote for these scumbags? If any kind of elections are held today, the present corruptable PPP/C will definately lose, no wonder that they are scared and pissing their pants/panties to go ahead and hold elections.

FM
Originally Posted by Mitwah:

Members of parliament should be made to declare how many house lots they have acquired in the various new housing schemes.

APNU/AFC can force them in Parliament to submit whatever information the public needs, all they have to do the vote down any money earmarked for the Min of Housing next budget.

FM

Can Minister Manickchand answer

these; questions about her Pradoville 2

residence?

November 1, 2013 | By

 
Dear Editor,
I am confident that Ms. Priya Manickchand will answer honestly and promptly the questions raised by Mr. K. Khan in his letter appearing in the Kaieteur News of October 30, 2013.  I say so because the Minister is never shy in her engagement with the press; sweet to those who sing her praise and ready to confront those who try to tarnish her good image.
Because I am sure the Minister would want to avoid any undue aspersions about her good character, I am giving her the opportunity to provide additional information on the entire transaction for the house she sold in Sparendaam known as Pradoville 2. Can she state for the public:
a) the name of the contractor who built it and the contract sum.
b) whether the contractor is a recipient of government contracts.
c) thename of the attorney-at-law who acted for her in the transaction.
d) the price stated in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and whether the stated price was the same as the actual price she received.
e) the capital gains tax she paid on the transaction.
f) whether she is aware that real estate transactions come within the scope of the Anti-Money Laundering Act and did she consult with the FIU to ensure that the transaction was not laundering.
f) whether she knows that the definition of corruption used by The World Bank is ‘the abuse of public office for private gain’.
I look forward to Ms. Manickchand’s response.
R. Rockliffe

FM

LEAN AND MEAN GOVERNMENT

 

Years since that speech and over a decade plus since Dr Jagan’s untimely death, it is debateable how much has been achieved to fulfil his vision. Let us be clear. We do not believe that for one moment Dr Jagan was being insincere. Indeed, we fully believe that his intentions were honourable and that he considered his vision to be attainable.

 

Successive PPP/C administrations have however squandered the goodwill that accompanied Dr Jagan’s election in 1992. “Lean and clean government” is now an embarrassing, best forgotten catch phrase.

 

The PPP/C has now been ruduced to garbage.

FM

Cheddi Jagan’s daughter says the current leaders of the PPP are corrupt and lack morals

 

Cheddi and Janet Jagan must be turning in their graves – says daughter at memorial

APRIL 4, 2012 | BY KNEWS |
 
“My parents were probably the most incorruptible people you would ever find; their honesty and integrity were of very high standards, but unfortunately do not exist or I don’t see it in many of the leaders of the party and government.”
The comments came from the daughter of the late Guyanese leaders Dr Cheddi Jagan and Mrs Janet Jagan. She said that the current leaders of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and government lack “the very, very, very high moral standards” which her parents embodied when they were alive.
Mrs Nadira Jagan-Brancier scolded the party for putting out platforms using her parents’ name— particularly her father’s— and not living up really and truly to what her parents had stood for. “It is not enough to go out there and make lovely speeches about who my parents were, what they did and the legacy that we’re carrying on”.
She said that her parents fought for sugar workers, the poor and down-trodden in Guyana and in the world. “That’s who they stood for, and again, I think the party has moved away— not the party but certain elements in the party— from these very, very important values that held the party together and what makes the PPP what it is and so for me, when I look at some of the things happening, my parents must be turning in their graves— but they must be churning up in the waters of the rivers (in which their ashes were sprinkled)”.
She said that if the PPP is saying that it is following Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan as a living guide, “the only way you can follow them is to return to basics, return to who this party is which is the working- class party, obviously you have to support other people, but the base of this party is a working- class party, get back to being a non- corruptible party, so people can’t point a finger and say ‘there is so much corruption, why should we worry?”
The daughter of the late leaders then pleaded with the PPP/C leaders and members to get back to the high and moral values. “If the leaders don’t show the moral values then people won’t do it, and you’re children won’t grow up with moral values. And if your families don’t show moral values, then society as a whole will lose that”.
“Their lives were involved in politics so their time for me and my brother was very limitedâ€ĶThey weren’t there the amount of hours that most people would have their parents around, but the times that they were, it was what they called quality time, not quantityâ€Ķso the times they spent with us— memories that I will have for the rest of my life”.
She noted that her parents were very normal, simple, and humble people and a “very, very loving couple”. She recalled sitting down for breakfast in the mornings around the family table and listening to the news from Guyana or the BBC “and you weren’t allowed to talk”.
She noted that they lived very simple lives and told the gathering that the house in which her parents once lived, is now open to the public. “The house is there and I really encourage people to use the opportunity to go in Bel Air and see the house where they livedâ€ĶThey lived a very simple life; they didn’t have big ostentatious homes that you see nowadays that government officials and party officials have, which is a very sad thing, personally”.
Ms Jagan- Brancier also encouraged persons to visit the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre in Kingston. “This was when my father was Premier from 1961 to 1964”.
“Most people think of my mom as only writing for the Mirror and other political things; my mom wrote a lot of children stories— I hope that people who have children would know this. She was also a poet and wrote some beautiful poems.”
Mrs Jagan’s prison diary, she said, are all important documents that Mrs Jagan-Brancier urged persons to read. The Cheddi Jagan website is also another feature that she urged the public to access information http://www.jagan.org “and on this website, you will find information”.
FM

Jagdeo’s gov’t has pushed the PPP aside and is working against the legacy of Dr Jagan

May 9, 2011
 

I spent over 30 of the best years of my life fighting against the PNC dictatorship and defending the PPP and Dr. Jagan’s legacy. All of my family lives overseas but I resisted pressure from them to migrate and remained here. I was beaten and jailed on numerous occasions. Because of my critical attitude and an independent mind I was never given the push like some of the newcomers who in a very short time and with practically no sacrifice are now in the Central Committee and in the executive of the PPP.

We created through propaganda the stalwart image for Bharrat Jagdeo but today his government has pushed the PPP aside and is working in an anti working class manner and against the legacy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan who must be turning over in his grave.

Please take the following that I have written into consideration as it is up to you to ensure that this country is placed back on the path envisaged by Cde Cheddi. I support Moses to be the presidential candidate. I am aware that Moses is by far the most popular choice and best candidate for the Presidential candidate. Ralph would have also been an acceptable choice for change to return the PPP to Dr Jagan’s vision.

However we have witnessed the vulgar manipulation by Jagdeo, Ramotar and others in the Executive and Central Committee that resulted in the selection of Ramotar as the Presidential Candidate. The greatest insult was when they came and asked the members to rubber stamp the undemocratic process.

The present cabal defends any criticism of their anti working class policies, by pointing at what happened under the PNC. This is not only ridiculous but absolutely unacceptable. Even as we grant the first term as having to deal with pre ’92 destruction of our economy and social structure and infrastructure; and recognize the “lean and clean” government of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, today [about] thirteen years later we are witnessing the growing impoverishment of our people, the growing corruption, the growing self-enrichment of a small section of the PPP leadership.

We can no longer blame the stringent measures imposed by the IMF deal since it has ended. But the Jagdeo government, and Donald Ramotar want to continue this way, and they seem bent on pursuing the same path that has had such an adverse effect on the working class, small farmers and the professionals, impoverishing them and this generates a huge gap between the haves and the haves not, in betrayal of the PPP’s stated ideology and Cheddi Jagan’s legacy. The drive for self-enrichment is apparently insatiable

The members of the Committee for the Re-election of President Hoyte (CREEP), who we were taught to revile, are now the best friends of the big ones in government and seem to be given all the opportunities to become richer. Prime lands are being given away to them and they are the President’s newly acquired friends. They shout “grow more food” but no new lands have been developed for the small farmers and the existing farmlands have been neglected and have caused all farming production to plummet.

The CREEPs are being hugged in public, while members of the PPP who were in the trenches and made tremendous sacrifices for decades are being shunted aside, and seem unable to even gain audience with the present ministers who with inflated egos and heads swollen with arrogance strut around the country like giants.

We have been force-fed with the idea that education can save us, but we have seen thousands graduate from high school with no jobs available. There is no proper employment or development plan as we produce thousands of graduates in fields where we have no jobs available. The President and the Civic Education Ministers did/do not see themselves to be blamed in that they should have seen to it that our education system was restructured to produce engineers and math and science teachers. Except for marginal progress in the area of infrastructure which is however riddled with corruption, there has been no real qualitative change to cater for the needs of Guyana and provide a diversified work force to ensure Guyana’s development.

Look at the fantastic tax allowances and duty-free concessions given to the President’s cronies but in reality no parents are given relief. The children of the poor, especially, suffer as there is no allowance for them. How could the parents put them through school properly? We need to reintroduce a progressive tax regime, or some form of subsidy for each child going to school – in fact for each child, in cases where the income of the parent is below a certain level. In any event, I need to emphasise that the burden of taxes on the employed is oppressive.

Small businesses are catching hell. The private sector has serious economic, cultural restraints reducing its effectiveness to create jobs and ensure development. Unfortunately Dr. Jagan’s ideas of a tri-sectoral economy have been cast aside, in addition to other aspects of his legacy lost within the shout “Jagan lives!” The cooperatives set up in the days of Jagan strived, however this sector which can assist in the alleviation of poverty has been deemphasized.

Jagan’s legacy and commitment to the interest of the working class and farmers continue to be thrown to the dogs by the government. We have to make some hard but necessary choices with regard to the PPP if we want to ensure a future for the children of Guyana. It seems that it has only retained the name but has lost the real working class commitment of Dr Cheddi.

Moses was hit. Moses got second at a previous congress and was left out of the executive. He definitely got a resounding yes from the vast majority of delegates at the last congress and again he was left out. O’Lall was dealt with and he died. Recently Navin Chandarpal was dealt with. Indra Chandarpal, who as a young PPP girl was arrested with her sister and taken to the lock up in their sleeping clothes, was literally chased out of the Cabinet.

Various senior members of the PPP have accepted that I was given a raw deal because I am usually critical of the way things are done at internal forums. Because I was critical the President dealt with me just like Burnham did and terminated my employment.

It is now left to see if Ralph would sail away into the deep blue sea, or rise like a true revolutionary to fight another day. One thing is for sure I cannot see him supporting this cabal not after his published criticisms of the corruption among other things.  In addition there are many in the PPP that are well respected. We are waiting to see if they will stay on the band wagon in their self interest or stand up to regain the rights of the ordinary man.

The people of Guyana, the vast majority of poor of all races have to commence appreciating that they occupy a common economic marginalization. They must look at each other and recognize that they are a force to be reckoned with. They must commence to support themselves in unity and address their marginalization with a united front that should exclude the present PPP and PNC cabal.

Progressive PPP and PNC leaders and members have to review their position of support for these undemocratic forces and unite to save our beloved Guyana.

I cannot close without mentioning another son of Jagan and Guyana. Moses! Time will tell if he would come forth and lead the working people of Guyana or remain in the wilderness. He made claims to the fact that Jagan mentioned him as a possible successor and so many see him as that. He will decide whether he will act to ensure Cheddi Jagan’s legacy lives or allow it to be interred with his bones as he and the people of this country witness the blatant betrayal of lean, mean and clean among other aspects of Jagan’s legacy.

Yours faithfully,
Rajendra Bissessar

FM
Originally Posted by Jalil:
Originally Posted by asj:

Next:

Guyana president Donald Ramotar

using his office budget

to hide paying Fat Cats, Big Poke

and Crab Louse big $$$$$$

 

David Degroot -  

Crab Louse/Ghost Writer

 

 Gail Taxiera

Fat-Cat $967,985

Mahendra Roopnarine Freedom House Operative

$395,000 per month

 

Kwame McCoy

Presidential Information Liason Officer

$334,850 per month

Chitraykha Dass - 

Freedom House Secretary

$250,000 per month

Shanta Goberdan

GINA Editor-in-Chief

$295,460 per month

Neaz Subhan

Gina Director

$295,530 per Month

Odinga Lamumba

Black House of Israel Thug

Dr Roger Luncheon

Head President Secretariat

$895,326 per month

Hydar Ally

Deputy Head President Secretariat

$550,064 per month

Office of the President

 Running a Dharam Shala

for Friends and Cronies

Charles Ramson Jr

Technical Legal Director

$430,196 per month

Joseph Singh

Special Assistant to the President

$667,440 per month

Eshwar Persaud

OP's Protocol Advisor

$268,000 per month

Kit Nascimento

Special Advisor

Leroy Cort

Cabinet Monitor Officer

$155,628 per month

Chitraykha Dass

Presidential Political Liason Officer

$255,000 per month

Kwame Gilbert

Social Policy Officer

$294,585 per Month

Hamilton

Black House Of Isreal Thug

Cheddi Jagan 11

(Joey Son)

$489,666 per month

Desmond Kissoon

President Political Liaison Officer Region 9

$280,000

Clive Lloyd

Presidential Advisor on Sports

$721,000 per month

Norman McClean

Advisor

Zulfikar Mustapha

Head, Community Relations Liaison Officer

$307,600 per Month

Philip Bynoe

Black House of Israel Thug

 

Pay Sugar Workers G$800. per punt

while others are paid more than 

800% above the average worker....

 

 

 

 

REV it looks like Ramotar & Jagdeo

will lose another 100,000 votes

because of wha dem do here...

Mitwah

GPL rents US$900,000 generator for US$720,000 annually

April 19, 2012 | By | Filed Under News 

 

The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) last year paid a hefty US$8.6M to

GPL’s CEO, Bharat Dindyal, and other officials during a hearing with utilities regulator, Public Utilities Commission last week.

rent 12 Caterpillar generating sets for a period of one year. It could have spent just US$2.2M more to buy them all.

FM

Corruption has Donald Ramotar cornered –

Corruption has Donald Ramotar cornered

JUNE 19, 2012 | BY  | EDITORIAL
 

Over time the people of this country have been hearing about their corrupt government. For example, there was talk that Forbes Burnham had stolen so much money that he was the fifth richest person in the world. The accusers quoted Forbes Magazine. Those were the days when information contained in foreign magazines was not readily available.

It turned out that there was never such a publication. Today, more than 25 years after Burnham’s death there is no evidence that he was ever a wealthy man. President Cheddi Jagan came to power with a pledge to run a lean and clean government. And he was true to his word. He caused his government to import pharmaceuticals when a local supplier turned out to be fleecing his government. Suffice it to say that that local supplier is once more the major supplier of pharmaceuticals to the government.     

As news of unprecedented corruption began to circulate the then President Bharrat Jagdeo simply asked people to provide proof. Some did and got nowhere. Others were threatened by persons unknown to keep their mouths shut and some lost government contracts. In the end people chose to report to the media.

That there is rampant corruption is now an open secret, so open that Nadira Jagan, a daughter of the Jagans, publicly accused the people in the party her father founded of stealing at unimaginable levels. She said that she was ashamed and her audience listened.

Now, a man who challenged for the presidential nominee of his party, has become the latest to complain about the levels of corruption. Mr Ralph Ramkarran has said that some of the corruption may be perceived. None can fault that statement. Burnham’s wealth was perceived but people believed and acted against it. But there are clear cases of corruption. And Mr Ramkarran wants the head of state to act.

These days, very few of the accused can say that they are as clean as driven snow. In the first instance their physical assets defy explanation. When one compares these assets to their earnings there seems to be no correlation. In some countries the tax man would have intervened but in Guyana, given the nature of the politics, he has chosen to remain silent.

One case was revealed when a woman whose earnings were no more than $40,000 per month from the Guyana Oil Company, proceeded to buy a house for $60 million. This was brought to the attention of Head of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Khurshid Sattaur, who simply ignored the information.

There are other reports of corruption, all of which remain uncontested.  And there is a reason for this. The people who should conduct the investigations subvert themselves to the political directorate. The result is that if someone is close to the political directorate then that person enjoys immense protection, even from criminal protection.

There is now the case of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). This body controls Government assets. It has the power to dispose of these assets and it does not have to account to the National Assembly.

Now there is a charge of rampant corruption with funds from NICIL. The Parliamentarians say that they have to investigate and that they would like to see the books. But the government is saying that this would not happen. Is there something to hide? Since NICIL controls state assets the least that could happen is that people be allowed to see how these assets are preserved or disposed of.

In the same way that the auditor has found that the government-owned National Communications Network cannot account for some $215 million, NICIL is probably in the same position. In the case of NCN the money might never have been collected from people who placed advertisements. In the case of NICIL there may be people who have acquired government assets without completing the payment. This is dishonest.  This is a corrupt practice.

And as if the heavens have opened, each day there are new reports of corruption being unearthed somewhere. We now have the city council among the latest band of corrupt practices. Already the NCN probe has revealed that people caused to be paid to their personal accounts, money destined to the media outlet.

President Ramotar has to take control and act condignly. Corruption has caused his party, for the first time, to preside over a minority government. Further corruption could see the People’s Progressive Party losing the seat of government altogethe

FM
Originally Posted by Billy Ram Balgobin:

Many people view the KN owner as a very corrupted businessman.  Do you agree?

All kinds of fault will be found, with KN owner, once KN is exposing the current leaders of the PPP of which Nadira Jagan says are corrupt and lack morals

Anyone who goes agains't the corrupt PPP/C are marked, so is KN owner and KN and others as well I am not surprised

FM

People are THREATENED  if they report the PPP/C

 

As news of unprecedented corruption began to circulate the then President Bharrat Jagdeo simply asked people to provide proof. Some did and got nowhere. Others were threatened by persons unknown to keep their mouths shut and some lost government contracts. In the end people chose to report to the media.

FM
Originally Posted by asj:

People are THREATENED  if they report the PPP/C

 

As news of unprecedented corruption began to circulate the then President Bharrat Jagdeo simply asked people to provide proof. Some did and got nowhere. Others were threatened by persons unknown to keep their mouths shut and some lost government contracts. In the end people chose to report to the media.

 

As old people would say "You cannot try devil case in hell"

 

FM

quote"However we have witnessed the vulgar manipulation by Jagdeo, Ramotar and others in the Executive and Central Committee that resulted in the selection of Ramotar as the Presidential Candidate. The greatest insult was when they came and asked the members to rubber stamp the undemocratic process."unquote

 

There is no democracy within the PPP/C, What is needed is another Indian Party to take away the PPP/C Votes

FM

What became of Cheddi Jagan

‘lean, mean and clean’?

Dear Editor,

I read the many articles in the daily newspapers written by Mr Freddie Kissoon et al and I must say that I am left speechless. Whatever became of Dr Jagan’s dream and slogan, ‘Lean, Mean and Clean’? Is this part of the much touted dollar-a-day philosophy?  Did this vision and commitment to the suffering masses die with Dr Jagan?

 The burden that this bill puts on the hard-working Guyanese people by the extravagance it guarantees Mr Jagdeo for life, borders on vulgarity. I can almost hear Dr Jagan shouting, “This is what you call squandermania gone mad.”

Now based on the lavish life taxpayers will have to provide for Mr Jagdeo after he retires, we will now have more candidates for President come 2011.  The interest is no longer about the people but about the perks. The great John F. Kennedy once said, “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” This is the kind of thinking that has helped to make America rich and powerful.

We need to embrace selflessness and reject selfishness if we are to move forward as a nation. And it is indeed a shame that those at the top cannot lead by example.

My dear friends many concerned Guyanese went after the PNC; why not go after this run-away PPP Government for worse behaviour?

Poor people are suffering; drug lords are taking over the country; torture, killing and rape are becoming the key features of our so-called democracy, and the list goes on and on. Dr Jagan would have never done this to poor Guyanese people, and this includes LFS Burnham, Hoyte and Mrs Jagan, who have all fought for a better Guyana.

Where are the private sector, GAWU, religious organizations and other NGOs? Remember, united we stand, divided we fall! The same standard used to judge the perceived excesses of the PNC should be applied to this out-of-control government. Double standards and ethnic cleavage will only hasten our own demise.

The big question is, does Mr Jagdeo deserve these benefits? Did he think of those poor farmers and struggling sugar workers who leave their homes at 4 am to work and make an honest living? Mr Jagdeo’s government is killing poor people with the VAT, yet he is exempted from paying taxes.

The people of Guyana have all pooled their individual power to empower the Jagdeo government to make laws which will protect them and serve their best interest, but instead that power has been used to satisfy self-interest. I hope that come 2011 the people of Guyana will say to the PPP enough is enough!

Your faithfully,
B. Beniprashad Rayman

FM

Dr Jagan Promise Lean & Clean

Govt...Jagdeo & Ramotar deliver

Avarice, Greed, Fraud and Corruptions

Avarice, Greed and Fraud

February 27, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under News

As Dr Cheddi Jagan eased into office by 1993, he declared that the new PPP regime was going to be different; none of that high-handed, top-down, opaque governance that characterised his predecessor. No sir. It was the people’s money that was being spent and he and his government would make sure that the people knew exactly how it was being spent; every time; every place.

 

Citizens Committees would be formed in the towns, in the villages and in every hamlet. They would not only suggest needed projects for their areas but would actually monitor those projects to make sure that there was no hanky-panky. What a noble vision.

Dr Jagan must be disappointed. Not only has his vision been abandoned by those who have succeeded him in his party and government, but the sentiments are being trashed and trampled so callously that one can only conclude that some powerful force is at work to deny the monitoring of government projects.

It all began when this newspaper, fulfilling its role of providing information to the people, exposed the chasm between money (“the people’s money&rdquo spent on Government projects and value received.

What was revealed was that billions of dollars (yes, we mean billions) were routinely not accounted for.

 

Roads were built for top dollars only to see them dotted with craters a few months later. Veritable shacks were “built” at a cost of millions of dollars; drugs procured for billions of dollars with no audit trail; and so on and so forth.

So we decided to dig deeper: we wanted to look at the specifications on the bids for projects so that we could match them to the people’s money being poured as if into black holes.

 

And we received an amazing answer; firstly from the highest official in the land, President Bharrat Jagdeo. This top servant of the people declared that if we wanted to look at the specifications we had to purchase the bid documents!

We let the matter slide. The President, after all, was under pressure. His One Laptop Per Family project was being ripped to shreds as a result of contradictions stemming from the very lack of transparency we were questioning. He was speaking under stress.

But on Thursday, the Secretary of the Cabinet, Dr. Roger Luncheon, while briefing the media, in his usual deliberate and measured tones, repeated the position. This meant that this was now the government’s policy. And this makes us angry, very angry, on behalf of the people of Guyana.

The rationale offered – that it would cost money to print the documents for the media — is disingenuous. In fact it is a slap in the face of the people. As one MP pointed out, the specifications could have been posted on the government’s procurement website at no cost.

The policy and its rationale are also a slap in the face of Dr Jagan and the whole concept of responsible government of and by the people. How are citizens going to monitor their money being spent on projects?

 

We said earlier that a powerful force has to be driving this process. Within the context of the revelations already uncovered, we can only conclude that this force is greed, avarice and fraud.

We announce here and now: we will not be deterred by these betrayers of democratic governance. The people’s need to know will be satisfied. There’s no turning back. This is our birthright.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the History of the PPP while Dr Jagan was alive

Only Rigging, Fraud and PNC Dishonesty could Rob the PPP of a Majority.

 

When Dr Jagan died the PPP continued to enjoy a Majority under Janet Jagan.

 

 Avarice, Greed and Fraud now rampant under Jagdeo & Ramotar caused the PPP to become a Minority today.

 

Avarice, Greed and Fraud caused Berbice to vote against Jagdeo & Ramotar..... and the PPP became a weak minority after 62 years

 

Where is Concience?????

FM

 

No tangible efforts to fight corruption

– TIGI

 

September 18, 2013 | By

 

 

 

Guyana likely to be rated lowly on Corruption Perception Index

With Government showing no tangible evidence of wanting to fight corruption, Guyana is likely to be rated very low once again on the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

 

 TIGI President, Anand Goolsarran

TIGI President, Anand Goolsarran

 

 

This affirmation was expressed by Anand Goolsarran, President of Transparency International Guyana Inc, who informed that the international body would be having another rating in November. He suspects that Guyana would not improve from its current rating of second from bottom in the Western Hemisphere or Americas. And, if Guyana makes any improvements it would be marginal.
According to Goolsarran, if Government had established the Public Procurement Commission, the Integrity Commission, and made the necessary amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism Bill, Guyana could have gotten a better rating.
However, the absence of these vital anti-corruption mechanisms could deter Guyana from climbing the ladder and moving away from the 27 out of 100 rating which it held for the past five years.
He noted that the administration needs to operate at a high degree of transparency, have good government practices and implement laws that could minimize the perception of corruption. Measuring actual corruption is extremely difficult, and as such, CPI experts conduct surveys and assess the results. The entire exercise is highly statistical and is done by Transparency International in Berlin, the parent body for TIGI.
Government has been criticized by Opposition Members of Parliament, independent Financial Analysts and several civil society bodies for conducting businesses involving large sums of taxpayers’ money without accountability and transparency.


One glaring example is the erection of a Marriott-branded hotel at Kingston. Even without investors and objections from the Opposition, Government went ahead to commence erection of the US$60M hotel with funding from taxpayers. Now, Atlantic Hotel Inc (AHI), which is the special purpose company, established to own and manage the Marriott Hotel is negotiating with a foreign private investor for two-thirds ownership of the hotel, which is still under construction.
TIGI in its effort to educate the populace about corruption in Guyana has erected two billboards which tell citizens “You Can Stop Corruption”. One is located near the Demerara Harbour Bridge and the other at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) on Camp Road.

 

Andrew Ayre, British High Commissioner to Guyana

Andrew Ayre, British High Commissioner to Guyana

 

The body is hoping to install more billboards across the country in areas such as Berbice, Essequibo and Linden, but is currently limited by the lack of funding. The British and Canadian Governments have helped TIGI with this initiative.
According to Andrew Ayre, British High Commissioner to Guyana, Guyana’s ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index was the primary reason for the British Government supporting TIGI.
Ayre said the British Government provided seed funding for the Transparency Institute in 2011 to help it get established.
“We fund such initiatives in countries where the risk of corruption is deemed to be highâ€ĶThe outcome we hope to achieve is a reduction in the level of corruption which aids development, improves the business environment, and promotes inward investment.”
Last June, the British and Canadian High Commissioners joined other members of the diplomatic community, including US Ambassador to Guyana, D. Brent Hardt at an investment seminar, where Guyana was accused of not doing enough to fight corruption.
A regional expert hired to implement a crime and security strategy for Caricom said that there is a perception that corruption is prevalent or endemic in Guyana.
Neither Government nor the Opposition had a continuous

 

One of the billboards erected by TIGI.

One of the billboards erected by TIGI.

 

presence at the seminar which was spearheaded by the diplomatic community.

 

 

 

 

 

FM

Chris Ram: "sheer vulgarity,

obscenity" characterizes CJIA $US138

million tiefman contract with Chinese

 

Introduction

I wish to acknowledge the generosity of all those persons who have shared information and their time and expertise relevant to this column. They prefer anonymity, some because of fear of victimization. One non-Guyanese who lives abroad sent me a copy of the FIDIC Yellow Book referred to in the contract for the runway expansion which I earlier indicated I had some difficulty accessing. I am gratified and grateful too to the many engineers who have looked at the contract for the expansion of the runway and the construction of a new terminal building. This contract is a shocking tale of recklessness and irresponsibility on the part of the Ministry of Public Works and indeed the entire government which with its eyes open signed a contract that allows the contractor China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd of Beijing China to fleece this country.

A Guyanese engineer who practises his trade in the US and who reviewed the contract at my request described it as the most lopsided contract he had ever come across in his entire professional life. He was struck at the looseness of the language of the contract that allows the contractor easy escape from any liability and the disproportionate obligations which the government has assumed under the contract. Citing one specific example the engineer noted that the contractor can claim against the government that he needed to work 24 hours on any day but the government did not allow it, presumably by ceasing all activities and flights on that day. In such a case the government would be required to compensate the contractor. Giving his overall assessment of the contract he wrote: “Wow, this is a sweet deal here. Does it mean that the contractor does not have to satisfactorily repair damages or defects? What about damages due to contractor’s negligence?” he asked

Another person familiar with construction noticed that there is no provision in the contract for an engineer, let alone provisions regarding verifying the quantity and quality of the work done and signing off on payments. An architect described the design as the ugliest airport structure and layout he has seen, one that looks more like an industrial facility rather than anything close to a modern airport.

 

Jagdeo’s legacy

He wondered too in which decade Guyana will need an airport that caters for eight planes simultaneously, and whether the projections which someone shared with me and I shared with him are not irrationally exaggerated. In fact the feasibility study which appears to have been prepared to justify the expenditure rather than vice-versa was based on traffic generated by Red Jet and Ezee Jet which have long since disappeared. The sheer dishonesty comes to the fore when we remind ourselves that Robeson Benn admitted that there was only a narrow window to grab the Chinese money when the big man from Asia was passing through the region, only enough time for us to grab and no time for thinking. That is going to be one of Jagdeo’s lasting and costly legacies.

One person who was integrally involved in the Ogle Airport Expansion Project described the CJIA project as “nonsense” for which there is “no logical justification.” The Ogle Airport Development Programme saw the transformation of the facility with the extension of the 100 feet wide runway by 2,200 feet and the construction of brand new buildings and facilities. Those have resulted in the airport’s certification as a Category 2C operation capable of accommodating Regional Class Aircraft like the Turbo Prop, Dash 8s and ATR flights operated by LIAT and Caribbean Airlines, as well as executive type class aircraft. And the total cost: US$6 million.

 

I understand that this group which comprises a range of skills including hard-nosed businessmen has offered its services pro bono to the government but has been rebuffed. But while so many persons of competence and relevant expertise are willing to share the knowledge, government officials are stonily silent. It is interesting to observe how so many have rushed to defend the indefensible “Marriott” hotel with its all-Chinese labour and the controversial Amaila project with its inflated costs and uncertain prices. It must be something that the government wants to hide or is afraid to confront. Indeed the only contact from that side of the contract came from an official of the contractor who called me to enquire whether Ram & McRae was interested in being their auditors. Citing the interest of the country over any financial gain, my partners unhesitatingly declined.

 

Financing  

Below is a summary of the contracted cost for the works to be done by the contractor. As you digest these please remember from last week’s column the number of tasks to be done or financed by the government and that are additional to the US$138 million to be paid to the contractor, including some US$20.7 million as an advance payment. Since the financing agreement signed by Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh with the Export-Import Bank of China was not entered into until November 2012, the initial money had to come from the Consolidated Fund. If the Chinese are good at one thing it is smiling whilst gouging as we see from the financing agreement as well.

Here are some of the features of that agreement:

1. Currency: The loan is in the Chinese currency the renminbi, and all the exchange risks are to be borne by Guyana. If the renminbi appreciates relative to the Guyana dollar, the cost of the loan goes up.

2. Interest: The rate of interest is 2% per annum but this is a disguise because a management fee of 0.75% is taken out upfront.

3. Taxes: No income or withholding taxes apply to any payment under the agreement, whether interest, management fee or commitment fee.

4. Use of proceeds: To be applied by the Government of Guyana for the sole purpose of payment of 94.2% of the contract with China Harbour. What the reader has to figure out is that much of the balance has to go to pay EXIM Bank a Management Fee of 0.75% and a Commitment Fee of 0.5% per annum.

5. Chinese ties: The goods, technologies and services are to be purchased from China “preferentially.” In another era before Guyana sold its soul, no government would have dared to give away its rights to say where and from whom it will buy goods and services.

6. Applicable law: China.
And to think that Sam Hinds and Robeson Benn thought there was such a thing as a free chow mein! I shudder to think what the Chinese think of all Guyanese.

 

The Shah’s toilets

Before getting into those big mega-bucks let us look at the prices being charged for some of the items we all can identify with, things like toilet sets and urinals, washbasins, sinks and showers. Perhaps we resent the sheer vulgarity, obscenity and scale of the price-gouging the Chinese are inflicting on us poor Guyanese or our memory of the infamous golden toilets of the deposed Shah of Iran. But someone must have been intoxicated or corrupted in mind and pocket to agree to pay for each of sixty-nine toilet bowls the sum of US$2,121.06 or $424,212 exclusive of VAT or any other duties and taxes. As the table below shows, the retail price at stores in Georgetown ranges from $15,500 at Zong YA to $30,000 at National Hardware. In other words the wholesale tax-free price being charged by the contractor is 27 times the retail price being charged by an ethnic Chinese trader to 14 times the retail price being charged by National Hardware.

Let us look at the comparable prices for sinks. The wholesale price charged by the contractor is $124,032 compared with $7,100 at Zong YA and $16,995 at Hamson. In other words, the contract price is 17 times that of Zong YA and 7.3 times the price at which Hamson sells them. The situation is hardly different with the other items.

* All prices in the contract are quoted in US dollars. For the purposes of this exercise and for simplicity, a rate of exchange of G$200 to US$1 is assumed, which understates the contract price.

 

Electrical items

For comparison I used one of the more popular stores specializing in industrial and domestic electric items most of which it imports from the UK. Perhaps because of this sourcing, the price differential is less dramatic, but still very significant. In two instances – evacuation signs and double fluorescent lights – the domestic prices are actually higher.

 

Conclusion

The above represent a small sample of items which are available locally and therefore permit comparison. I attempted a similar exercise for other items but because many are so broadly described, a comparison is not possible. Of course the broad and loose description suits the Chinese just fine – we cannot hold them to any standard. That does not mean that we should be any less suspicious about abuse. In fact, we need to be more concerned.

Next week we will look at whether the price disparities evident in those items which allow comparison extend to the runway extension and the construction of the new terminal building. Meanwhile, I hope that what is evident so far causes sufficient concern to demand a complete review of this project. Guyanese seem to have lost the capacity to be offended, shocked or even become angry. Maybe, just maybe, the toilets and urinals are the tipping point.

FM

NO MAJOR GOVERNMENT CORRUPTIONS CASE HAS EVEN GONE TO TRIAL

June 27, 2011 | By KNews

 

Dear Editor,

PPP presidential candidate, Mr. Donald Ramotar, in his latest comment on corruption, said that if persons are found guilty of corruption, the law should be allowed to take its course (Kaieteur News, June 26). The problem with this statement is that despite the Auditor-General’s annual reports and many horror stories, sometimes accompanied by jaw-dropping pictures of screwed up projects reported by Kaieteur News, and despite everybody knowing that there are misappropriations of state funds and resources, we have not had a major government corruption case that went to trial and the accused being convicted.

Only last week, the Parliamentary Accounts Committee reported some troubling discoveries it made pertinent to the 2007 and 2008 audited accounts for government ministries and agencies, even going so far as to contemplate calling in the police. Did Mr. Ramotar not read this in the media? Did the President promise to help the PAC get the police involved? These latest discoveries merely reflect an ongoing pattern of bare-faced rip-offs by people who should be indicted on criminal charges and made to make restitution or have their assets and bank accounts seized in the amount of money reportedly siphoned.

So when the PPP presidential candidate now says that if people are found guilty that the law should take its course, I have to ask where was his voice for the last 19 years as a leading member of the party that forms the government. The silence of the PPP General Secretary throughout this period, and even after he became the party’s de facto head, speaks loudly about what the nation can expect if Mr. Ramotar becomes President. Can anyone imagine Mr. Ramotar saying with a straight face that, ‘when a newly constructed road goes bad, this cannot be counted as corruption, because the PPP government has taken a hands-off approach when it comes to the award of contracts’?

This is the strongest confirmation yet that the fully detached Mr. Ramotar does not grasp the essence of managerial responsibility, but especially when it comes to being responsible for public funds. Mr. Ramotar’s asinine posture is that, for example, after the government gives a contract worth $20M to a contractor to build a road or a facility and the project is screwed up, the government can’t be blamed, because the government takes a hands-off approach once the contract is awarded. Oh, really? Would Mr. Ramotar do that with his own money on a property he is trying to develop? I didn’t think so, yet this is the man who wants to be the next President of Guyana?

But this is not surprising anymore, because this is the same man who sat on the GuySuCo Board and watched quietly as GuySuCo recorded a GY$3B loss in 2008, along with the royal screwing up of the US$200M Skeldon Plant. How much more irresponsible than this can Mr. Ramotar get, having sat quietly while the PPP regime ran amok with corruption and GuySuCo tanked financially? And to hear him justify the government’s spending of US$12.5M to build the Enmore Sugar Packaging Plant – “Everything in that regard (the construction of the Enmore plant) was (above) board,” he said – when it was brought to government’s attention that Kenya built a bigger packaging plant for US$3M, completes our understanding of the type of leader the PPP is seeking to foist on us in 2011.
Whereas the PPP gave us a mini cooper with a large trunk space in 1999, and the trunk has since been ‘ram-packed’ with the people’s ‘goodies’, the PPP is now trying to give us a used ambulance with a detached and delusional patient hooked up to saline bottles and oxygen tanks. Bottles and tanks may keep you alive; they don’t make you think straight.

In closing, Mr. Ramotar also said that at the economic level, the PPP/C has moved Guyana from being a basket case in 1992 to being the most dynamic economy in the Caribbean today (“Ramotar says PPP ready for polls,” (KN, June 26). Someone needs to tell Mr. Ramotar that the dynamic economy of which he speaks is being sustained by the informal economy: drugs, money laundering, foreign remittances and foreign loans.  Clearly, the UG educated economist plans to continue relying on the informal economy, which supports corruption.He also said at the political stage, Guyana is now one of the most democratic nations in the world. “All the fundamental freedoms and human rights are protected,” he declared.

Truth is, after almost 19 years, Guyana still has one radio station, there is no broadcast legislation, there has been no Local Government Election since 1994, there is no Freedom of Information Law (and government is now said to be proposing the appointment of an Information Commissioner to go along with the FOI law, which defeats the whole independent concept of such a law). The President and government are also known for trying to stifle Kaieteur News and Stabroek News. Moreover, why is there no probe into the 2002-2004 crime spree and extra judicial killings? How can Roger Khan be jailed in New York on drug smuggling charges, but not in Guyana? Why are so many people on remand awaiting trial after many years?

Mr. Ramotar may believe he is a member of the PPP political entitlement elite class, but when it comes to the issues on the ground, he has his head stuck in dark clouds and his feet in the crab mud. His naked political body is exposed to the elements but he thinks he is wearing a dark two-piece suit that everybody admires.

Emile Mervin

FM

QUOTE "Mr. Ramotar may believe he is a member of the PPP political entitlement elite class, but when it comes to the issues on the ground, he has his head stuck in dark clouds and his feet in the crab mud. His naked political body is exposed to the elements but he thinks he is wearing a dark two-piece suit that everybody admires."UNQUOTE

Emile Mervin

 

I wonder if Donald really knows what is going on?

FM

Guyana agrees to pay Chinese

contractor CHEC $297,000 each for

urinals in Airport Contract

July 2, 2013 | By |

 

can be sourced here for $13,000 

 

 

The Guyana Government has agreed to pay China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), $297,694 for the supply each of the six urinals to be installed in the expanded Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
A similar urinal is retailed in the capital for prices ranging from $12,000 to $20,000.
Checks at retail outlets revealed that urinals were being sold for $11,995 at National Hardware, $13,148 at Gafsons Industries and $17,900 at Hamson General Store.
The $297,694 that Guyana has agreed to pay CHEC for a urinal excludes VAT and all duties and taxes required to import the items from China.
Under the contract document, the goods, technologies and services to be used are to be purchased from China “preferentially”.
Ram in his Business Page column posits, “In another era before Guyana sold its soul, no government would have dared to give away its rights to say where and from whom it will buy goods and services.”
Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram, in his Business page column this past week, lambasted the current administration over several aspects of the contract that was signed and agreed to.
The contract was signed on November 11, 2011.

A Urinal selling in Georgetown for $13,300 while Govt. will pay $297,000 each for the urinals to be installed under the Airport Contract.

Signing on behalf of the government for the Ministry of Public Works was its Permanent Secretary, Balraj Balram, and Ren Guangjie, General Manager of the Business Development Department of CHEC.
The CJIA contract was one of three controversial Government projects released to the media last year after months of questions.
It was only after the Alliance For Change (AFC) requested information on the projects in the National Assembly that the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) released the documents.
The other two projects were the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Access Road Project, which was awarded to Synergy Holdings Inc. under questionable circumstances and the Marriott Hotel that is currently under construction in Kingston.
Under the CJIA contract, Ram in his analysis pointed out that the $138M loan from the China Development Bank, is in the Chinese currency the Renminbi and all the exchange risks are to be borne by Guyana.
“If the Renminbi appreciates relative to the Guyana dollar, the cost of the loan goes up.”
Ram also points out that the rate of interest is set at 2 per cent, per annum, but the accountant says, “This is a disguise because a management fee of 0.75 per cent is taken out upfront.”
He says too that under the contract inked by Government, no income or withholding taxes apply to any payment under the agreement, whether interest, management fee or commitment fee.

FM

Corruption by the Guyana PPP/C

government exposed

Exposing corruption and other misdeeds of the PPP/C.

 

Kaieteur News insists many secret deals signed

by Bharrat Jagdeo

 

Dishonest, vulgar and deceitful are just some of the words members of the wider society are using to describe the government’s contention that its transactions have all been transparent and that there has been no secrecy.
On Saturday, last, the government through its News Agency, issued a statement seeking to lambaste Kaieteur News for its report that the government had signed a secret deal with Ansa McAl of Trinidad and Tobago for 110,000 hectares (approximately 425 square miles) of land in the Canje Basin.
Kaieteur News got wind of this deal through the Trinidad Guardian and insisted that the nation was unaware of the deal between Government and the Trinidad company.
Angry at the Kaieteur News report, the Government Information Agency (GINA) wrote, “The Government of Guyana (GoG) rejects the continued misrepresentation of the Kaieteur News of the various government projects and initiatives which seek to transform the country. The latest being the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Guyana and Ansa Mcal Group on the exploring the possibility of ethanol production in Guyana.(sic)”
“In July 2010, the GoG through public tendering awarded a contract to NUMARK Associates Inc. of the United States for the Service Consultancy to expand Bio Energy Opportunities in Guyana. As part of the Terms of Reference, NUMARK was tasked with compiling a list of potential Bio Energy Investors who may be interested in investing in Guyana.”
But when contacted, Rodrigo Chaparro, Vice President in charge of Sustainable Energy Strategies at NUMARK Associates Incorporated, said that it was tasked with advising on what policies and laws would be needed to create an environment that would attract investments in bio-energy.
The government said, “Based on the NUMARK’s report and the proposals received from investors, ANSA McAl was selected after their proposal was scrutinized by technical experts in the field of Bio Energy, which was subsequently approved and signed on September 30, 2011 and witnessed by representatives of the Government and ANSA McAL.
“To suggest this was a secret deal is not only misleading but a gross misrepresentation of the reality and part of the continued campaign to cast aspersions on the PPP/C Government.”
NUMARK stated that it was made aware through information posted on the web site of the Inter American Development Bank. The people of Guyana would not have been aware of the posting since the general population does not scour the web sites of international organizations.
To further highlight the secrecy of the deal, the government, despite sending its representatives to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with Ansa McAl, never announced that it had completed a Memorandum of Understanding. It also failed to make the signing public either through GINA, Office of the President or by way of press conferences.
The opposition parties were all unaware of this development as was the rest of the nation. The deal was indeed secret. Guyana was made aware through a publication in the Trinidad Guardian, four months after the government said that it signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
And the only response to the disclosure on the part of the government was a GINA statement criticizing the Kaieteur News disclosure of the deal.
The government said that “the impending project to modernize and expand the airport, the plan to construct the Marriott Hotel and the on-going One Laptop per Family project,” were also not secret deals.
“In all of these cases, the accusation of lack of transparency was refuted. All of these projects were developed through a public procurement process. The Government challenges any publication or political group to show where these projects were done in secret and not consistent with our various laws and regulations.”
The nation was made aware of the airport project by way of a publication in the Jamaica Observer long after the signing. After the Kaieteur News publication the government contacted the Jamaica-based headquarters of the Chinese company, China Harbour Engineering Company, contracted to expand the runway and modify the airport terminal building.
The spokesperson for China Harbour Engineering, one day after the Kaieteur News publication, duly referred all queries to the Guyana Government. Public Relations Officer of CHEC in Jamaica, Jennifer Harmon, said that she was asked by her company not to reveal any more information about the project and that in fact her decision to reveal the signing to the Jamaica Observer was ill-advised.
She said that the Guyana Government would release any information to the media.
The project was not open to bidding, since no such advertisement was placed on the government’s procurement website under the Ministry of Public Works through which the airport is administered.
Further, it was only in August 2011, Regional Director of CHEC, Zhongdong Tang, said that the company had a team in Guyana, and other countries, “looking for opportunities.” But GINA stated that the project was first announced “several months” ago.
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo when confronted disclosed never before heard details of the project.
The Marriott Hotel deal was another that the nation learnt through a foreign media. So too was the talk with the Grenada-based Zublin. Head od the Privatisation Unit, Winston Brassington was livid that Zublin released details of its talk with the government.
There were many other secret deals. One was for an Indian company for land in Guyana. Guyanese learnt of this through India Times. Among others were the Sanata Complex, MovieTowne and the land distribution process to housing developers.

 

 

FM

The PPP spin doctors are having a hard time

November 14, 2011 

NOVEMBER 14, 2011 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER LETTERS


Dear Editor,


The defenders of the Former Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Act 2009 including Prime Minister Sam Hinds, Dr. Roger Luncheon, Mr. Robert Persaud and now Dr. Nanda Gopaul are having a hard time trying to convince the Guyanese taxpayer that President Bharrat Jagdeo was less than greedy in initiating and approving legislation providing for benefits that are patently overgenerous.
The best that Mr. Persaud could do was question the timing of the questions, seemingly unaware that as far back as May 2009 Prime Minister Sam Hinds was vainly defending the Act with misrepresentations.
Mr. Hinds incorrectly wrote that all Mr. Jagdeo and his spouse would have is a single vehicle owned and maintained by the State. In fact Mr. Jagdeo is entitled to an unspecified number of such vehicles with drivers.
In addition, Mr. Jagdeo is also entitled to duty free concessions for motor vehicles and every other item he chooses to import. Mr. Hinds would also wish us to believe that free medical expenses are limited to the former president and his spouse. In fact taxpayers would have to pay for the medical costs for him and the dependent members of his family, for the rest of his life. And if Mr. Jagdeo or any one of them elects for treatment abroad, no big deal – the Act places no restriction.
Dr. Luncheon and others have been saying that all the Act did was to put into law payments made to former presidents, completely forgetting that neither Burnham nor Jagan lived to become former presidents.
With a slight twist Dr. Gopaul then tries to confuse the issue by listing eight types of expenses that former presidents were entitled to but fails to state what they actually received which is the real concern over the Act. What Dr. Gopaul seems to miss is what the parliamentary opposition and civil society have been saying all along, i.e. that there are no caps to any of the facilities; no conditions for receipt of benefits and no consideration of cost.
A former president working abroad is still entitled to tax-free pensions and most if not all the benefits and facilities permitted under the Act. And even if resident, s/he is entitled to clerical and technical staff even for private consultancy work, and can run up the most outrageous utilities bill for electricity, telephone and water to be paid for by the state. As drafted, the legislation would seem to impose on the state all the costs where the former president decides to have two or more residences. And we know from the advertisements, our soon-to-be former President is actually constructing on the sprawling state-owned land he awarded himself two houses and a distinctly un-low carbon hot and cold swimming pool for which the monthly electricity bill will easily run to $600,000. We will pay for all of that.
Even while visiting friends, that individual likes to travel with an entourage often consisting of five vehicles and several staff providing security. If he is unwilling or unable to give up such show of power and influence, we the taxpayers will pay for them too, including overtime late into the night.
We may take some comfort in the two services that seem to be limited in number – the gardener, though even that could be circumvented by retaining a landscaping service, and an attendant, presumably to look after the person’s hair, nails and general appearance. And if the soon-to-be former president joins one of his buddies in business or enters in business in name, either on his own account or for their benefit, all the income will be tax-free. This abomination has no parallel or precedent anywhere in the world and is deserving of its own Champion of the World Award.
The menu of benefits and facilities hardly seems what the Constitution intended as payments to former presidents when it states that “A person who has held the office of President shall receive such pension or, upon the expiration of his term of office, such gratuity as may be prescribed by Parliament. Any such pension or gratuity shall be a charge on the Consolidated Fund.”
One is forced to wonder whether the attempts by Hinds, Luncheon and others to confuse the public about the contents and consequences of the Act really show their inability to defend its inherent obscenity. What one does not have to wonder about is the frightening disregard for rules and cost on the one hand, and the interest of self on the other, all symptomatic of how the PPP/C has been managing the financial resources of the country.
Christopher Ram

FM

 

The Bharrat Jagdeo Presidency: A dozen years of

degeneration and decay

 

November 7, 2011 2 comments

By ARIF BULKAN  |

 

What would an honest evaluation of the Jagdeo Presidency reveal? Its genesis lay in naked constitutional manipulation, for in the 1997 general elections Bharrat Jagdeo had not been elected as President or Prime Minister by the People. Thus when Janet Jagan disclosed in August 1999 that she could no longer continue as President due to her declining health, Jagdeo’s succession was contrived through a circuitous route. First, Sam Hinds was required to resign so that Jagdeo could be sworn in as Prime Minister on August 9th, and this was followed by Janet Jagan’s resignation and Jagdeo’s assumption of the Presidency on August 11th. This process gave fair warning to the Guyanese people of how slender national ‘democracy’ was, for in a country where one party has a stranglehold on power, the only hope of forestalling imperial rule is if that party’s internal structure has processes and mechanisms by which its leader(s) can be held accountable. But Jagdeo was a handpicked successor, revealing the imperial nature of the power possessed by the head of the ruling party and that party’s fundamentally undemocratic nature. More troubling was that his installation in office required the circumvention of the supreme law of the land, but this did not seem to give the PPP as an institution any cause for discomfort. All this was an ominous portent of things to come. Janet Jagan may have thought that she was installing a puppet – but just as she was able to exercise maximum power as President, so too was her creation eventually able to function, uncontainable even by her (there’s a lesson there for Jagdeo and Ramotar, but that’s another story).

 

Back in 1999, a battered electorate gave little thought to PPP intrigue, despite the very public manner in which events unfolded. Jagdeo’s youth represented a refreshing antidote to the old guard and party loyalists, and his selection on the eve of the millennium could have been taken to herald both literal and symbolic rebirth. And to be fair, in the intervening twelve years there have been instances where Jagdeo has demonstrated solid leadership – notably in the principled stand he took with regard to the Economic Partnership Agreement being forced down the region’s throats by the European Union, despite the considerable opposition of his counterparts in CARICOM. Sadly, however, for the most part Jagdeo’s rule has been a bitter disappointment, where any initial promise was quickly extinguished by an autocratic, intolerant, vindictive, incompetent and verbally abusive style of governance. I could go on, for there are many negative adjectives which can be used to describe Jagdeo’s presidency, but when I saw the photograph taken of the President at the India Day parade in New York City, I thought that it said it all.

 

This week’s column will focus on two prominent features of his presidency symbolised in the photograph: 1) the way in which he has consistently indulged himself, the public purse be damned, and 2) the way in which he has materially indulged his cronies, again without regard for the public purse.

 

Personal indulgence

 

Jagdeo’s personal financial dealings need little recounting. As I pointed out in an earlier column, the sale of his first state-subsidized house and land in Goedverwagting at a price that far exceeds market value and to Guyana’s consul in Trinidad and Tobago is one that reeks of impropriety and would have been immediately investigated in any functioning democracy.

 

Immediately after this sale Jagdeo acquired more state-subsidized lands, but at a price far below market value. A number of irregularities surrounded this second transaction: the President obtained more than 4 times the amount of land a re-migrant can purchase; he paid barely one-sixth of what a re-migrant would have had to pay; and the allocation to him was made by Cabinet in violation of standard policies that state-subsidized land is only to be distributed to persons who do not own or have not owned property in the previous 5 years. Most obscene of all, as pointed out by Bro. Eusi Kwayana, the lands awarded to the President form part of a post-emancipation village. That many of the descendants of those first villages still live in squatting areas while the choicest lands built through the sweat of working people are reserved for Jagdeo and his cabal of supporters, is a monstrous injustice.

 

It then emerged that 29 tons of building material was shipped to Jagdeo from alleged criminal Ed Ahmad. Mr. Ahmad has other unsavoury antecedents – in the US he “loaned” money to Congressman Meeks, which was only re-paid when the authorities commenced an investigation. Sometime before (or after) Ahmad sent the container of building material to the President, he secured lands from Guysuco on the West Bank. We will have to do the math, because unlike in the US, there will be no official investigation into these events.

 

Then it has been reported that on each trip abroad, Jagdeo receives a US$5,000 (G$1 million) out-of-pocket allowance over and above the funding for the trip, for which he does not have to account. Compare that to the minimum wage of G$35,000 per month and Guyana today is like France under the Bourbons (of the ‘let them eat cake’ period).

 

Then there is the presidential pension, which will afford Jagdeo a life of post-retirement luxury. How the $3 million monthly figure has been computed is a mystery to me. Under the law passed by Jagdeo’s minions in parliament many of the benefits are uncapped, so the cost to the taxpayer could conceivably exceed $3m given the standards presently exhibited.

 

Cronyism

 

A key feature of the Jagdeo Presidency is the majestic enrichment of a select cabal of his supporters. The examples are endless.

 

1.The recently released report of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee reveals major irregularities in public spending for the 2 years it reviewed (2007-8), including overpayments to contractors and payment to contractors for work that was not completed. It is public knowledge that the vast majority of national infrastructural works are awarded to a select few contractors. The latest in a long string of examples is the award to a favoured contractor, BK International, of a $138 million contract for upgrading the Supenaam stelling. This comes less than 2 years after BK drew down more than $400 million for work on the same stelling that was completely botched, leaving it unusable for over 2 years. In other words, the same company is being given more money for a job that it already bungled, when in the normal course of business it should be sued and ordered to repay or finish the job properly.

 

2. Or consider the case of the single-sourcing of drugs from New GPC by the Ministry of Health. This has been going on since 1997, and after 2003 in direct violation of the Public Procurement Act. Since 2003 the practice has been facilitated, arguably unlawfully, by Cabinet decision. Between 2003 and 2008, it resulted in over G$3 BILLION for New GPC. Single-sourcing of any good means that the purchase price may not be competitive, and as if that were not irregular enough, it was revealed in Parliament that the drugs were paid for up front – in other words, Guyanese taxpayers funded the company’s operations, something absolutely unheard of in business. To add insult to injury, New GPC’s parent company then turned around and loaned money for the construction of the Berbice River bridge at between 9-11% interest, which interest will not be taxed! As is well known, New GPC is a subsidiary of the Queens Atlantic (QA II) group of companies owned by the Ramroop family, one member of which is a close friend of none other than Jagdeo himself.

 

3. The same QA II was illegally granted certain tax concessions by the Jagdeo administration. When Mr. Yesu Persaud spoke of these concessions at the launching of Guyana Times on June 5th 2008, he was publicly attacked by the President. Later, when accountant & attorney Chris Ram exposed the administration’s lies on this point, the Jagdeo government hurriedly passed a law to retroactively legitimize their earlier, unlawful act.

 

4. In 2009 Fidelity Investment evaded taxes and customs duties in excess of $321 million, but even though customs officers raided their premises and found over 73,000 cases of Polar beer for which the company could provide no import documents, the case against the company was discontinued by the State with no explanation given to the special prosecutor or to the public at large.
5. Earlier this year the one laptop per family project was announced, but in the public domain there was much inconsistency regarding its cost as announced by the government. Worse, a price to be paid for each laptop was announced, even though the tender process had not even been commenced.

 

6. The Amaila Falls hydro-electricity project has been dogged by similar concerns over the cost of the project and the lack of transparency surrounding the bidding process. All that is known to the public at this stage is that there is a US$200 million gap in the actual cost of construction and the original estimate given (the latter has since increased by another US$135 million, making that gap now US$335 million). Where or to whom is that extra money going?

 

7. Earlier this year the government leased almost 2 million acres of land to a businessman from India for 30 years at G$394 (yes, a little less than two US dollars per acre). Again, this lease was not the subject of a transparent or competitive bidding process, and Guyanese do not know what other benefits attend the deal. Does it attract special tax concessions? How come the company is reportedly being allowed to export species for which there are existing bans in the law?

 

One can continue to list the secretive and scandalous deals by this government, but the underlying features are similar. Principally, key oversight institutions have been either run into the ground by the government or are simply not functioning. Anand Goolsarran, who as Auditor General brought many irregularities to light, was run out of office in 2004 when he attempted to investigate a dolphin scandal involving the President’s adviser. Since then, the vacancy left by Dr. Goolsarran’s departure has not been permanently filled, so even were the incumbent minded to act courageously the precariousness of the position is an obvious impediment. The government refuses to appoint a Public Procurement Commission, which means that there is no transparency in and scrutiny of the procurement of goods and services and the execution of public works. This state of affairs facilitates overpayment and shoddy performance. Most of the beneficiaries of this largesse tend to be friends and associates of the President, hence the charge of cronyism. Where foreigners are involved, the deals are invariably negotiated in secret. The end result is the stifling of competition, a higher cost of living, and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a favoured few.

 

Add this up and the picture is clear. Notwithstanding the low salaries, unlivable pensions and general impoverishment of most Guyanese, President Jagdeo shamelessly grabs whatever he can for himself (and his chosen friends) – lands, container of goods, lavish US dollar allowances, overseas trips, maids, gardeners and pension for life – wherever he is, and irrespective of who is looking on. In next week’s column I will conclude by examining the intolerance and decay that, taken together with the cronyism, characterise Jagdeo’s 12 year period of rule.

 

FM

JAGDEO/ED AHMAD

 

It then emerged that 29 tons of building material was shipped to Jagdeo from alleged criminal Ed Ahmad. Mr. Ahmad has other unsavoury antecedents – in the US he “loaned” money to Congressman Meeks, which was only re-paid when the authorities commenced an investigation. Sometime before (or after) Ahmad sent the container of building material to the President, he secured lands from Guysuco on the West Bank. We will have to do the math, because unlike in the US, there will be no official investigation into these events.

 

NB Also I think that the New Guyana Company Building was secured by ED Ahmad, for little and nothing, compliments Jagdoe

FM

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