The APNU+AFC Coalition’s Basil Williams was called out by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, over comments he made at a World Bank forum in Washington, United States of America. At the World Bank event, organised under the theme ‘Rights, Technology and Development’, Williams said, “When we took over, we inherited massive corruption” and referred to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) as a “left-wing” group that held power and “just took care of family, close friends and cronies” for 23 years.
He said, “They really impoverished the people of the country.” Jagdeo was no-holds barred in rubbishing Williams’ comments, noting that the track records of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) in government and that of the APNU+AFC Coalition are clear for all the world to see. On the issue of corruption, he noted that Williams continues to make wild claims, even as the APNU+AFC Coalition has failed to prove a single case. “Now the corruption stinks… everyone knows about what is happening,” he said. Only last week, APNU+ AFC Coalition Leader, David Granger, was called out by Jagdeo for his declaration that he has “not found corruption” within his administration.
When asked directly about the reports that have exposed corruption since the APNU+AFC Coalition took office, Granger said, “I have not found corruption.” Last month, Granger when asked the same question, had said, “We need to have ministers and public officials who are incorruptible…the people of Guyana must be satisfied that their ministers are honest. I am against corruption personally I am confident that my government is against corruption.”
MULTIPLE SCANDALS
Jagdeo, has said that the Coalition’s position on fighting corruption is in question, given the many scandals, a few of which include:
1. The deposit of US$9,000 into the personal bank account of Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson;
2. The transfer of over $20M of taxpayers’ monies to the children of Minister Simona Broomes. Details on the matter indicate that in 2018, two transfers of US$25,000 each to the daughter of Minister Broomes, the Department of Public Service within the Ministry of the Presidency. In 2019, there was another transfer to Broomes’ daughter worth US$36,450 by the Department of Public Service within the Ministry of the Presidency. Minister Broomes’ son, in 2019, benefited from a fourth transfer of GYD $2.51M from the same Department. The disclosure from your Director General, Joseph Harmon, that the monies represented sums for scholarships raises more questions that remain unanswered;
3. The failure to account for the use of taxpayers’ monies on the multi-million dollar D’Urban Park Project. After months of delay, it is only recently that information has been finally handed to the Audit Office by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. The 2017 Audit report pointed out that millions spent on the project could not be accounted for;
4. The continued breaches of Guyana’s procurement laws, relative to the feasibility study on a new Demerara River crossing. The Public Procurement Commission has pronounced on the illegal nature of this undertaking. The report said: “The PPC noted that the Minster of Public Infrastructure, by memorandum dated November 18 2016, made a request to the Cabinet for Government seeking consideration and approval to use funds from the Demerara Harbor Bridge Corporation to fund the feasibility study and to commence a contractual engagement with LievenseCSO as of the 1 Jan 2017.” The PPC noted that this request to Cabinet was not forwarded through the NPTA but submitted directly by the Minister of Public Infrastructure. The PPC also noted that Cabinet considered the memorandum submitted by the Minister of Public Infrastructure and in November 2016 approved a total sum of $161,514,420 to be used from the Demerara Harbor Bridge Corporation to cover cost for the feasibility study for a new bridge across the Demerara river.” To date, new information indicates that more than $$161,514,420 was spent – instead it is close to $300 million that was spent;
5. The use of public office by Minister Cathy Hughes to bolster her financial standing and that of her company, Videomega Productions. This was disclosed after the revelation that massive contract of $832,200 for sample work, paid for by the Department of Energy, a department within the Ministry of the Presidency, was given to Minister Hughes’ company. Since then, more information in the public domain, indicates that, in Minister Hughes’ Ministry of Public Telecommunications three contracts were awarded to her company, Videomega Productions: June 4, 2018 – Advertisement of Vacancies – $939,738; June 25, 2018 – Facebook Page – $119,670; and September 21, 2018 – CTU/ITC Roadshow 2018 – $2,291, 128, among several others. To date these scandals remain unaddressed by the APNU+AFC Coalition.
