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There are more important things than Minister Harmon right now – PPP Chief Whip
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is Guyana’s only parliamentary opposition. Naturally, it has been highly critical of the Government in several instances, in fact blasting the administration for its handling of the education sector earlier
PPP Chief Whip
Gail Teixeira
in the week.
However, when questioned by Kaieteur News recently about the party’s stance on the controversies surrounding Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, PPP Chief Whip Gail Teixeira adopted a ‘tongue in cheek’ approach that stood in sharp contrast to the party’s usually dogmatic opposition.
“I think there is something more important than that right now,” she stated. “Mr. Harmon has to learn that when you are a Minister you’re under the public scrutiny and the microscope. And he better get used to it.”
“The PPP will say what it has to say, when it needs to say it in relation to whatever transgressions or otherwise Mr. Harmon has made or is accused of being involved with.”
Despite the party consistently circulating press releases critical of the Government, it has stridently avoided releases about Harmon. Yesterday, when questioned whether the party did not wish to make an official statement on the controversy at this time Teixeira declined.
Recent photographic evidence that showed Mr. Harmon posing on a private jet with BaiShanLin’s Managing Director, Chu Hongbo, and family, had raised serious questions.
The government in a statement before the leaked photo had emphasized that the purpose of Mr. Harmon’s visit was to engage in discussions regarding the payment of the US$5 million balance owed for the purchase of 20 percent of Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) shares by Chinese company, Datang Telecom Technology and Industry Group from NICIL, in 2012.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon
There was no mention in the statement about any meetings or interaction with officials of the controversial logging company.
His intervention to halt an official seizure operation involving BaiShanLin several weeks prior was another move that raised eyebrows and attracted widespread condemnation.
At the time, the operation was being executed by GRA in collaboration with officials from the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU). GRA was about to seize a number of BaiShanLin’s vehicles due to the company’s failure to pay the required duties within the legally stipulated timeframe. But during the exercise, Harmon instructed that the vehicles not be removed.
Weeks later the vehicles were seized. In addition, GRA had made a strong statement against such interventions after the incident, promising that it would execute its work as mandated.
Harmon’s actions however run counter to the rhetoric he used on the campaign trail. He was quoted on several occasions blasting BaiShanLin for its operations in Guyana, as well as the previous administration, for facilitating the company’s actions.
In 2014, he had blasted the former government for its silence about the “corrupt beast”, BaiShanLin’s “immoral and abusive acts” and he had also stated, “There can only be one logical conclusion for that—they are benefitting financially in exchange for allowing the rape to continue. It is only a win-win deal for the parties involved and BaiShanLin’s kickbacks seem to have silenced the (former) government”.
Harmon had even stated that he found it sickening that BaiShanLin had been invited to this country under the pretext that it was going to foster good developments, and all along the true intention was to rape this country of its resources.
During the election campaign Harmon had said, “BaiShanLin mimics the behaviour of the spirogyra. This spirogyra gobbles what it wants and keeps splitting and spreading. That is exactly what BaiShanLin is doing.”
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