Where are the ethical leaders in Guyana?

Sep 12, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

You would have observed how the Hon Vice President, Jagdeo has focused on the real conflict of interest situation with respect to the leader of the AFC. He must be commended for highlighting this fact. But he must understand he has stated his case and we have listened. What the reading public does not appreciate from the Hon. VP is this– he stated his case, Nigel Hughes responded but he just continues to drill the same thing over and over into the Guyanese head in a rather jarring manner, like we are dummies. The very act of “gotee dhall” from the Vice President, every week against Nigel Hughes says a few things about his political intelligence and also about the fact that he does not trust the intelligence of the Guyanese people. Only someone who has a low self esteem and lacks confidence in himself and his statements will behave in this manner. Chill out Mr. VP, we know what wrongs were done by all the players in connection with this oil business including your very own PPP members. “Chillax” brother!

United we stand, divided we fall. So, working people use your power and understand the key to freedom from this cost of living crisis in Guyana is that we all must refuse to support either of the rich men in this game – Jagdeo and Hughes, since for everything they give us, we must give back ten times more from our sweat to support their style of luxury.

For the record, Guyanese know very well what is conflict of interest and do not need anyone to grind in their ears every week this nonsense about who is practicing conflict of interest and who is not. We know who is on the payroll of the oil bosses, who have sold out Guyana and who got us here. They know the role Raphael Trotman played, David Granger played, Nigel Hughes is playing and yes the role Bharat Jagdeo is playing. Move on now Mr. Vice President, your behaviour is borderline infantile and comes across as a nagging partner. Just chill out brother Jagdeo. We know what was done by the PNC on this oil contract.

What Jagdeo must focus on is to tell us about the current corruption in his government and what he has done about it as the bossman. Has he disciplined any of his political underlings for their abuse of their positions to enrich themselves and their sons? In many of the cases, some of these “Jagabats” have moved from a situation where some of them could not pay their light bill in 2019 to a situation where today, they are all billionaires with several properties in New York City on a public servant’s salary. This is what we the public want to hear from Mr. Jagdeo, how he is curbing the runaway corruption in Guyana today.

Now if you go across the road and listen to Mr. Mohabir Anil Nandalal, on his “Issues in the News” commentary on conflict of interest, Mr. Nandlall was measured and he made sense. Why can’t Mr. Jagdeo make some sense?

Those who did not hear the Attorney General’s programme, this is what the Hon. Mr. Nandlall said when he quoted an Oxford University interpretation of conflict of interest. Mr. Nandlall shared a perspective by a man named Richard Painter from a book labeled “Getting the Government America Deserves”. In that article according to Mr. Nandlall, “regulating conflicts of interest in government is one of the aims of political ethics”. Mr. Nandlall further quoted that “public officials are expected to put service to the public and their constituency ahead of their personal interest”.

When in power, the PPP, AFC and PNC are extremely guilty of not meeting these simple benchmarks, so who calling “the pot black”? All of them from Ramjattan, to Nagamootoo, to Jagdeo to Granger to Trotman to Hughes cut from the same cloth. Behind closed doors, these men knocking glass and doing deals and treating the Guyanese people like fools.