Rohee Claims AFC being sidelined by APNU

Aug 06, 2016 News

…Ramjattan says Rohee on campaign to create division

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic, Clement Rohee, is of the opinion that the policy

PPP/C General Secretary, Clement Rohee and Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan

initiatives of the Alliance for Change are being ignored by the A Partnership for National Unity.
Rohee made his position known on Wednesday during a press conference at Freedom House on Wednesday. He said that the rejection of the AFC policy initiatives is manifested in its promise to increase the salaries of ranks of Guyana Defence Force, and the Guyana Police Force by 25 per cent.
Additionally, he said that the Granger-led APNU has sliced off a huge chunk of the former Ministry of Home Affairs’ responsibilities and embedding them at the Ministry of the Presidency.
Rohee added that Guyanese would wish to learn about the degree of influence the AFC “chicken-hawks” wield at meetings of the National Security Council and the Defence Board.
Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan is also the Leader of the Alliance for Change. According to Ramjattan his party has not dealt with any issue regarding increasing the salaries of ranks.
He said, “His (Rohee) whole campaign is to create division but we remain a united coalition government. I am sure that the APNU section would want more than just 25% increase but the problem is, the revenue is not available. In fact the AFC initially wanted to double the salary but the harsh reality as indicated by the Ministry of Finance is that we can’t.”
He said, “The PPP/C and Rohee are simply trying to position themselves as caring to the disciplined services. It is laughable how they are trying to create dissention in the government but we remain entirely united.”
The Security Minister also weighed in on the issue of moving security responsibility from the former Ministry of Home Affairs, now Ministry of Public Security to the Ministry of the Presidency.
Further he said, “This new coalition government will not be fettered by what the PPP had as its Ministerial architecture. Both the APNU and AFC partners agreed to a Citizenship Ministry. And Rohee should know that the APNU-AFC has every right to deal with how the ministerial architecture will be positioned. We are not going to be cribbed and confined by what existed under Rohee.”
He said that the new arrangement helps him to emphasize his own efforts in managing the Police Force, Fire Service and Prison Service which come under his portfolio.
“We in the coalition government want it that way and I, too, am supportive of that. Rohee is so vexed that new Ministers having taken over from him… and are doing such good jobs, he cannot bear it.”
Moving onto the issue of his party’s representation on the National Security Council and the Defence Board, Ramjattan said that it isn’t a case of not having representation.
“At both these fora the AFC representatives’ inputs are recognised by the others of the highest quality. We matter there and we are respected for our suggestions and recommendations; both myself and the Prime Minister.”