Latest update January 20th, 2025 4:00 AM
NCN Report…Ramotar needs to take action, not dilly-dally with recommendations
– Harmon
The delay by President Donald Ramotar to once and for all make public his decisions on the findings of the National Communications Network (NCN) report into irregularities is bordering on neglect.
President
Donald Ramotar
APNU Parliamentarian Joseph Harmon
A Partnership for National Unity Parliamentarian Joseph Harmon, said yesterday that President Ramotar needs to take action and not dilly-dally with the recommendations. According to Harmon, “the government has been continuously shutting down corruption rumours by saying ‘show us the proof’ but here they have it and don’t want to act”.
“It’s two years now we have been waiting for the president…he needs to come out and act, show some sort of example” Harmon told Kaieteur News yesterday. Harmon explained that the president is not showing the true example of how to be a leader.
“Lead by example…do good and the rest of the government ministers and other officials will have to follow.”
Over the last three recent press conferences President Ramotar held, he has continuously “sidelined” the issue of the NCN report.
The president continues to say that he “did not walk with any information” even as he seeks to assure the public of his anti-corruption stance. The report into irregularities at NCN sits on his desk two years later and he is yet to make public his decisions on the findings.
Last month when quizzed on the report on his desk for years now, the President said “I have nothing new to report on that; I really was preoccupied with many other things. I am sorry, next time hopefully I will be in a better position.”
The report was submitted to the Office of the President for action. Though differently worded, the President’s response mirrored one he offered on this very issue about a year ago at a similar engagement.
In fact, in March 2013, Ramotar told media operatives that he was “surprised” that the matter had not yet been concluded. He had related that the matter is being handled and it would be concluded in the near future.
The investigation into the irregularities was confined to the Terms of Reference that sought to ascertain the relationship between Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) and NCN.
In a leaked report – prepared during the first half of 2012, it was revealed that on the part of NCN, one area of irregularity was traced back to GT&T and involved millions of dollars in advertisements.
NCN’s then CEO Mohamed Sattaur, resigned in June 2012. The entity’s Programme Manager, Martin Goolsarran, who admitted that he had deposited the payment cheque from the telephone company into his personal account, was suspended without pay.
However, findings of the investigations submitted to Ramotar would determine the future of the two men. Many are waiting to see whether the findings would engage any legal action.
Without revealing details of the investigations, Ramotar said he would like to see accountability at NCN, which will help with confidence and credibility.
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