Learning Channel controversial contract…Jagdeo is guilty of insider trading to enrich friends

Apr 22, 2013 News

– APNU

Guyana needs to move its legislation forward to prosecute those who use privileged information for the unjust enrichment of their friends, as in the case of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who contracted TVG, owned by his best friend, to air the Guyana Learning Channel for a hefty sum of $3.6M monthly.

APNU’s Member of Parliament, Joe Harmon

According to Joe Harmon, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Member of Parliament, the granting of the contract by Jagdeo to his best friend, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, is a clear indication that Ramroop was privy to Government’s plan to establish the Learning Channel and as such made the necessary investments in the relevant technologies to air it via satellite.
He stated that this scenario is called insider trading and it is a criminal act in most developed countries. He pointed out that in the United States of America persons were jailed for trading inside information to enrich their friends.
According to Harmon, what Jagdeo did was deceitful and criminal and the contract should be examined by the National Assembly.
Trying to clarify Government’s move to contract Ramroop, Dr. Roger Luncheon said, when former Education Minister Shaik Baksh made his initial presentation for the Learning Channel, he was sent back to redesign the project to ensure it was equitably distributed.
Redoing the design meant that the National Communication Network would air contents of the Learning Channel terrestrially on the coastland and TVG would be contracted to air the Learning Channel via satellite in far-flung communities.
Current Education Minister Priya Manickchand recently told the National Assembly that “the Guyana Learning Channel has the use of a teleport (owned by TVG) that was created at the time of its set-up, since there was no other teleport capable of up-linking video signals in existence in Guyana, before or since.”
According to Harmon, APNU, which has 26 seats in the House, would examine the contract thoroughly to ascertain pertinent details such as procedure used in granting it.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

The Member of Parliament said that a lot of contracts issued under President Bharrat Jagdeo were good ideas but unfortunately they were designed to financially enrich his friends, pointing to the blatant example of the Learning Channel.
He said that the Learning Channel is educational and beneficial, something that would not be opposed; but the deal behind the Learning Channel is wrong.
He indicated that the discovery of this ‘secret deal’ between Jagdeo and his best friend is not surprising. There were other ‘secret deals’ involving Jagdeo and Ramroop, such as the purchase and storage of pharmaceuticals and the issuance of five radio frequencies.
Harmon stressed that Jagdeo behaved like if this country belonged to him and ruled arbitrarily. This form of governance is being continued under the Donald Ramotar presidency. He attributed this to the fact that Ramotar retained the majority of Jagdeo’s Cabinet.
According to Harmon, another unjust move by Jagdeo in granting his friend the contract was the absence of a public tender. He said that at no point was it public knowledge that Government would be contracting a television station to air the Learning Channel and that channel would need specific technologies.
He contended that had there been a public tender and Ramroop was awarded the contract justly, it would have been a non-issue since others in the media business would have gotten a fair opportunity.
The Member of Parliament emphasized that this is precisely why Guyana needs the Public Procurement Commission urgently, since taxpayers’ monies are being exploited. However, a more serious look needs to be taken at the operations at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, he added.