Time for the creation of a new Constitutional Anti-Corruption Agency

Sep 02, 2012 Letters

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Dear Editor,
We watched with disgust the sickening spectacle of corruption scandal after corruption scandal in the PPP Government over the last decade in every single conceivable Ministry under every single conceivable Minister and when we thought it would have gone away with new leadership, oh what a surprise.  PPP corruption is here to stay.
Might we remind the people about that award for $300 million in computers for the Education sector to a “barbar shop” located in Brooklyn New York?
Might we remind the people about that multi-million award for a motor boat that never worked in the Home Affairs sector to a car dealer after kick backs were paid to PPP operatives?  To date not one of these corrupt PPP operatives were even arrested much less charged and convicted.
Might we remind the people of the comments of the Auditor General on its findings with respect to procurement in the Health Sector where a company owned by a close business friend of one of the top leaders of the PPP is paid billions of dollars in advance for “drugs and medical supplies” in a tendering process that does not follow a transparent process?
Might we remind the people of the $90 million that was earmarked by Minister Rohee for meals and transportation for the police during the elections?
We are yet to hear the auditor general’s report on this alleged fraud of taxpayers’ money for which Commander Ramnarine is sidelined for exposing such scheme.
Unfortunately editorial space does not provide us with enough space to list all the compendium of these corruption cases involving PPP operatives.
It would take more pages than the Bible, Quran and Gita combined to document these acts of mal-administration and wholesale “white collar banditry” conducted by these PPP operatives. Suffice to say that when the former speaker and PPP stalwart, Mr. Ralph Ramkarran admitted that corruption had become a monstrosity under the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime, he was vehemently attacked at Freedom House by the PPP apparatchiks and was forced to resign.
So here we go again with another deceptive practice of awarding the contract of the Specialty Hospital, not necessary to the most competent and experienced contractor.
We can safely expect the same on the new $ 5 billion power plant which the most cooperative and compliant majority opposition voted for to facilitate another scam without first demanding that the Public Procurement Commission be in place.
Mr. Carl Greenidge was so confident in his party’s stance on the Commission that he assured the Guyanese people that he is working on an October deadline; when the PPP told him and the entire opposition by way of Minister Rodrigues that they are prepared for a Commission by the end of June 2012.
At least for the record the AFC was on the ball and responded with its nominee as soon as Minister Rodrigues threw out the challenge.  Thank you AFC.  To the APNU, your actions to date can only leave the political observers wondering who is in the queue for a political payday from the PPP.
We are convinced that the leaders of APNU continue to shy away from their role as opposition just as the PNC did for ten years under Mr. Robert Corbin and allowed the PPP regime to continue its discriminatory practices against a section of the Guyanese community.
Guyanese are fed up with menu of corrupt activities and discriminatory practices under the PPP rule over the last decade which has permeated the political system that even the Police Force is now a principle actor in the corruption to the point where they cannot enforce the law.
It is high time for the creation of a new Constitutional Anti-Corruption Agency independent of the PPP regime to investigate acts of corruption.
This anti-corruption agency shall have similar powers to the Contractor General in Jamaica to investigate all procurement transactions including those done by NICIL and prosecute alleged wrong doers.
But then again with such a lethargic and pro-PPP compliant APNU leadership, we can only dream of this happening. In terms of the tripartite talks which are dictated by the likes of the Gail Teixeiras and the Roger Luncheons, the combined opposition has no tangible results to showcase to the people for their efforts.
This is true of Parliament where their only claim to fame is the reduction of the budget by $21 billion, but less than four months later, the PPP tricked them into restoring $11 billion.
The Jagdeo/Ramotar regime is not interested in ending or reducing corruption or prosecuting any of its senior members for alleged corrupt practices and the majority opposition must use their powers to do something and do something fast about this.
The behavior of the Minister of Health, Mr. Ramsarran in deflecting questions on the billion dollar Specialty Hospital is a tacit reminder that this PPP plague called corruption is not going away.
Minister Ramsarran and his Permanent Secretary believed that they could have conned the reporters but they were surprised by their intelligence and resistance.
Their behavior is typical of the strategy used by the “untouchables” in the PPP; that is to attack the reporters/messengers when they are cornered by tough questions.
Put simply, despite all the pronouncements by the minority PPP government, Mr. Ramotar has placed corruption on the back burner and the parliamentary opposition which campaigned against PPP corrupt practices seems to have overlooked this critical development.
There is even empirical evidence to reveal that the majority opposition continues to throw billions at the PPP greed and corrupt machine; case in point the majority opposition voted for some $5 billion in new funds for the new GPL power plant without a vital pre-requite for any new mega project in place – the Public Procurement Commission.
Mr. Carl Greenidge was even inconsiderate about this matter, promising a Commission in October 2012; months too late, which can easily roll into the 2011 elections anniversary of the majority opposition.
Guyana needs an opposition that not only demands at press conferences an end to corruption, injustice and unfairness, but which actually mobilizes the people into forcing change. The opposition must not wait for three more Guyanese to be cut down in the prime of their lives before they mobilize and work to offer effective representation to the people who have elected them in November 2011.
So why were the wrong doers at NCN not placed before the courts?  Why were the policemen who allegedly killed the Linden Martyrs not placed before the courts?  Why were the police officials who fleece this nation with some $17 million in a motor boat fraud not placed before the courts?
Why the Permanent Secretary who signed the multi-million contract with Fip Motilal not banned from public office?  Why is an official investigation not launched into the award of the Specialty Hospital by the leadership at the Ministry of Health? Why did the interrogation into the NICIL operation by Parliament not take place before the recess?
The nation has been waiting patiently for Mr. Ramotar to act; it is now clear he is a continuation of the Jagdeo regime. It is time for the majority opposition to act.  NOT A DIME MORE FOR THE PPP until the Public Procurement Commission is fully established; until President Ramotar acknowledges the no-confidence motion passed by Parliament and demands the resignation of Minister Rohee; until the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime makes public all of NICIL’s transactions from 2000 to 2011; until the PPP regime releases the investigate report of NCN and until the PPP recognizes the need for fairness and ceased awarding contracts to their friends and cronies.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

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