Issues beginning for attention

Dec 05, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – There are two issues begging for attention.
1. The arrest of former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, last Thursday is the Irfaan Ali regime continuing to execute their pre-election threats of locking up and jailing those who worked with the APNU+AFC government. The President and his ministers would find it difficult to convince society the timing of Jordan’s arrest was not aimed to keep him in the lockup over the weekend as was done to Colvin London, Trevor Benn and others. The government is playing a dangerous game and need not fool themselves their actions will not have consequences.
I was a member of the Privatisation Board when that Kingston Wharf was approved to be privatised and the beneficiary identified as B.K International. The company that was originally recommended to acquire the wharf bid approximately $2 billion but when their bonafide was brought into question, the bid was taken off the table. The second highest bid, which was below $1 billion, was that of BK. It is instructive that over the life of the PPP/C government, this deal was not finalised, but it is important to note acquisition of the property was sealed by the Privatisation Board under the Bharrat Jagdeo government.

2. We must raise our voices in unison and call for President Irfaan Ali, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, and any other in the government that do not pay income tax to start paying. The spirit and intent behind the non-payment of taxes, which began during the Forbes Burnham government, have outlived its usefulness. The spirit and intent were to allow persons to take home more pay without increasing the salaries of the operatives.
Over the years, successive PPP/C governments have increased their salaries and are still not paying income taxes. They are earning hundreds of thousands and even millions per month, but the ordinary worker who has to live on $80,000 per month is paying income tax. This is the party that is seeking to fool society that they are working class centered when in their world, some are more equal than some and for them, they must always be the ones economically better off.
If they are not guided by conscience, they should be guided by Judge Fidel Corbin-Lincoln’s ruling, last month, that income tax exemption is unconstitutional. The present Constitution of Guyana states that any law that is in contravention of the Constitution is null and void. We the people must demand, starting this month, the President, Attorney General and others respect the Constitution and Corbin-Lincoln’s ruling.
Lincoln Lewis

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