Still questions about Joe Harmon

May 04, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
In response to your April 29th, 2016 lead story, “Sale of GTT shares…Buyer claims side deal done to waive remaining US$5M,” with the strapline, ‘Company’s statement contradicts Trotman’s’, it is my fervent hope that the private media continue to keep this issue in the spotlight, because I am becoming increasingly convinced that not only did skullduggery take place, but there isan attempt to cover it up. This is not a private matter because involves public funds.
In my previous related letter to KN published April 28, I sought clarification on the two Chinese companies named as purchasers of the GT&T 20% shares, but even NICIL’s Dr. Maurice Odle’s clarification had to be read twice in order to sift through the maze of names to get a grasp of who we have been dealing with in China.
I am not sure whether Messrs. Anil Nandlall or Donald Ramotar could have attempted such a clarification, but it sure boggles the mind that the Ramotar administration would have allowed such a confusing deal to go through in 2012,without questioning why Datang of Hong Kong Golden Telecom would insist on having any potential legal issues resolved in Britain and not Guyana.
It is as if the Chinese knew a legal issue would be forthcoming, so they left Guyana to try and settle the issue through diplomatic channels, which apparently resulted in some sort of verbal agreement between former Guyana Ambassador to China, Dr. David Dabydeen and the Chinese buyers. Even if Guyana disputes the claims that the outstanding balance of US$5M was paid, where will it go to eventually settle this matter?
This is why the coalition government needs to come clean with the people of Guyana, because this matter involves public funds, and so the regime must make public all copies of the documents Minister of State Joseph Harmon has in his possession purporting to show the money was paid before May 11, 2015.
I also still cannot understand why the Minister of State got involved in this matter that should have been addressed by Foreign Minister, Carl Greenidge, and Finance Minister, Winston Jordan. This is also why many observers are developing the belief that Minister Harmon has too much authority or oversteps his boundary line.
For example, one of the reasons why Mr. Greenidge was appointed Foreign Minister, according to President David Granger, was to use his background in finance and economics to woo foreign investors. Yet, it was Minister of State Harmon who traveled to China and reportedly tried and woo investors in Guyana by securing deals, of which many Guyanese don’t really know the details.
Anyway, the issue of the moment is what happened to theUS$5M. The coalition allowed Mr. Winston Brassington to leave Guyana to live and work in Florida with a lot of open-ended issues, and now we have Minister of State Harmon reportedly traveling to Florida after his brow-raising China trip. When will the people of Guyana, but especially GT&T employees, know the full facts about the sold GT&T shares?
By the way, when the Jagdeo regime sold New GPC to his best friend Dr. Ransinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, wasn’t there a clause in the sale agreement for New GPC workers to partake in a 10% share of the company? If yes, then what is the status of that share? It is bad enough the GT& T employees were denied a right to own shares in their own company, but foreigners can own such shares in a controversial deal, so what’s up with the New GPC 10% shares for employees?
Emile Mervin

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