The hypocrisy of the Alliance For Change

Aug 08, 2013 Letters

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Dear Editor,
There is an old saying: ‘Whatever is done in the dark shall come to light.’ It doesn’t take a legal brain to figure that one out. But I must congratulate Kaieteur News for having the courage to expose the hypocrisy of the Alliance For Change (AFC) in their August 6 headline: ‘Nigel Hughes is Company Secretary of Amaila Hydro Inc’. For a while, I thought Hughes was untouchable to some at Kaieteur News. It now appears that I was wrong in making this assumption.
This disclosure came as a surprise to everyone, despite claims by Hughes that his “appointment as secretary has been a matter of public record since the incorporation of the company (Amaila Falls Hydro Inc) in April 2009.” This legal jargon used in his press release announcing his resignation as chairman of the AFC was just splitting hairs. For, as Hughes must know, being a matter of public record does not necessarily translate to being public knowledge.
The Amalia Hydro Project did not only just emerge on the news. This project was controversial among opposition members and political pundits long before Nigel Hughes officially joined the AFC in July of 2011. Surely as a practicing lawyer he would have known the importance of discussing his association with Amaila Falls Hydro Inc. with Raphael Trotman and Khemraj Ramjattan as a matter of public disclosure at that time.
So, for Nigel Hughes to say in his press release that: “When the issue of Amaila Falls Hydro project became a matter of public interest I immediately disclosed my interest (as Company Secretary of the Amaila Falls Hydro Inc.) to the Leadership of the Alliance for Change”, and for the AFC to echo this in a statement rejecting his resignation: “Mr. Hughes declared his professional association with Sithe Global at the commencement of the Amaila Fall Hydro Power Project coming into national focus”, is outrageous, misleading and downright dishonest. The hydro project was in the national focus long before that; anyone can research this on the Kaieteur News website.
But why would the AFC risk this potential backlash from its supporters? Isn’t this the same type of modus operandi they accuse the Administration of?
AFC Executive Member/Parliamentarian Cathy Hughes caused a similar stir when it was reported that she was the Public Relations Officer of Synergy Holdings Inc, which she categorically denied. Splitting hairs again, the wife of Nigel Hughes claimed that her company, Videomega Productions had only produced a PR documentary on behalf of the Fip Motilall’s company. Now she is identified as the Public Relations Consultant for Sithe Global, the company that is commissioned to build the Amalia Falls Hydroelectric Plant. Oddly enough, the AFC voted down legislation that would kill this project.
Although there is nothing wrong with the appointments of Nigel and Cathy Hughes, it clearly demonstrates how easy it can be for opposition members to secure lucrative positions from government’s development initiatives for themselves and families, while accusing the Administration of cronyism. Let no one be fooled, They’re in it for the money. The interest of the Guyanese people is far removed from their own. I wonder how many opposition members and their families are benefitting from such lucrative deals? We may never know.
Earlier, AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan was accused of working on behalf of Fedders Lloyd Limited, the Indian Company that was denied the contract to build the Specialty Hospital. Responding to claims by Government officials that he had engineered the cut to the budgetary allocation for the Specialty Hospital for personal interest, reducing it from $1.25 billion to $0, Ramjattan said, “There is absolutely no truth about pecuniary interest… I have never collected one cent from them and I don’t think I ever will. So this talk about there being a personal interest is absolute nonsense.” But he also admitted that officials of Fedders Lloyd solicited his legal support after losing the contract to Surendra Engineering Corporation. As such, he perused the tender document that they had submitted to the procurement body.
Khemraj Ramjattan is a lawyer and Parliamentarian. It is highly unlikely that he would have provided this professional service pro bono for a foreign company worth US$500 million. Who is he trying to fool? Having not received “one cent” from Fedders Lloyd as he claims is irrelevant to the fact that he represented them in a legal capacity.
The question must now be asked, what prompted Nigel Hughes’ hasty resignation from the AFC chairmanship? As suspected all along, all is not well on the home front. This development (exposure if you will) may very well reveal serious conflicts. Hughes’ political momentum may be threatening to the leadership of the party. Perhaps Nigel Hughes has just gotten too big for his britches in a party that must win over PPP supporters for its survival. Whatever the reason, the Alliance For Change has an obligation to this country and to their supporters to put Guyana first. It is not too late!
Harry Gill

 

 

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