Latest update January 6th, 2025 4:00 AM
Ramotar responds to EU Ambassador: Suspension of budget support monies was political interference
-says Europe built on slavery
In what is turning out to be a full-blown quarrel, former President Donald Ramotar has accused the Delegation of the European Union (EU) of political interference over the suspension of over Euros 25M in budget support.
Ex-President,
Donald Ramotar
A significant part of the monies had been earmarked to help Guyana deal with the EU’s price cuts to sugar and eventual opening of the market to other players.
The monies were frozen by the EU earlier this year, with that body saying that the absence of a Parliament in Guyana and its necessary oversight mechanisms were the reasons for doing so.
The suspension had come when Guyana was preparing for General Elections, which were eventually held on May 11th.
Ramotar in a letter yesterday, disputing EU’s Ambassador Jernej Videtic statements that proroguing of Parliament last year did not help the situation, was highly critical of the EU’s role in Guyana.
“The indisputable fact is that Guyana did meet the conditions required for disbursement; the technical officers at the EU Delegation and the EU’s contracted technical experts were satisfied that these conditions were met, they confirmed this in writing to my Government at the time, but the disbursements were subsequently withheld with absolutely no legitimate basis. Indeed, with all that has transpired since, it is now evident that the withholding of these grants was an act of political interference,” the former President said.
Ramotar also had issues with the Ambassador’s statements that the EU was responsible for overseeing the disbursement of the monies which comes from its taxpayers.
“The Ambassador speaks of European taxpayers’ money. Perhaps he needs to be reminded that much of the wealth accumulated by Europe was built on the backs of enslaved and bounded labour, and as a result of the worst crime ever committed against humanity, leading to the very justifiable recent calls for reparations.”
EU’s Ambassador,
Jernej Videtic
Ramotar noted especially the statement by the Ambassador that the Budget Support grants were withheld because Guyana was not in compliance with the conditions required for disbursement.
“It is most regrettable that the Ambassador did not acquaint himself fully with the facts of this matter before pronouncing on it.”
The former President argued that Parliament was not prorogued until November 10th, 2014 so that could not possibly have been a basis for withholding a disbursement due three months earlier.
Ramotar said that as a matter of fact, in January 2015, his Government announced that the EU Delegation since September 8th 2014 indicated clearly that Guyana had met the eligibility criteria required to qualify for disbursements totaling Euros 25.8M and that the same delegation had recommended disbursement of this sum to the EU Budget Support Steering Committee in Brussels. That committee had been set to meet September 17th 2014.
Ramotar said that there was no inkling that the prorogation of parliament was to be blamed.
“In fact, after Guyana had qualified for the grants and encountered the first delays in their disbursement, in a meeting in my office with the then EU Ambassador, I was advised that the reason for the delay was the impasse over the anti-money laundering legislation. No mention was made about the prorogation of Parliament, not surprisingly because prorogation was only to come much later, and no mention was made about any conditions not being met.”
Ramotar also released the correspondence sent by EU last year advising a positive disbursement advice to its headquarters.
The issue of the EU monies over recent years has been a contentious one with the former Opposition, now forming the coalition Government under President David Granger, complaining that the monies were being collected but not invested in the sugar industry.
The previous Government had stuck to the defense that the monies were budget support – for the country- and not necessarily for the sugar industry.
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