text:
bharrat jagdeo is on his back foot as wikileaks comes closer and closer to home.we've been told by office of the dictator insiders that jagdeo is very close to wearing pampers as he almost shit-up h eskin when the news of the first cable break. [that one dealing with his cousin roger khan, desi bouterse and racheid doehkie]
don't worry jagbamzee there will be more cables and more opportunities for you to select your pamper size
today in a startling admission before officers of the Guyana Defence Force the president of Guyana admitted that he likes little girls.
we already know that jagdeo [cousin of roger khan]
remember this is the same jagdeo that made much ado about signing the sexual offences bill with priya manickchand
sometimes these things just have a way of coming back and biting yuh in de ass
just ask baby doc duvalier
Jag de hoe is only pretending.The man—- i mean girl is a fag.Even Joey said it on radio in NY a few years ago.Jag had an African fellow student as his man while they were students in Russia,Both jag de hoe and kwamie are batty boys.Varshnie was used as a tool to deflect his true sexual orientation.Jag still meets his old African boy friend and his other man in Queens New York.
Publisher i implore you to call Joey Jagan to confirm his interview on a New york radio station a few years ago.A certain guyanese lawyer and two other people were on the discussion panel.
Posted by | January 26, 2011, 8:40 pm
so what is fucking wrong if Barrat Jagdeo is a homo or straight, i definately don't see what his sexuality has to do with his presidency, at least he is the fucking head of ur state (Guyana) but who the fuck is you? you need to put some hard evidence here to proof that he is really putting his head in man…..i have to see to believe, only assholes and illeterate believe what they hear and not what they see!
Posted by | September 2, 2011, 3:27 pm
Joey Jagan said on the Radio and TV that Jagdeo is a ANTIMAN and JAGDEO suck CACK and Tek BUGGA and Jagdeo has AIDS
Posted by | November 29, 2014, 1:33 pm
Posted by | November 30, 2011, 12:11 am
I BUBBA Jagdeo and he husband Bobby in bobby Swimming Pool, that is why Bobby wife left him after seeing him kissing jagdeo in the swimming pool.
Posted by | November 16, 2013, 3:20 pm
Nah. The fat fuck in the grey suit with the pen is a criminal name vic persaud chief of protocol in the office of the president. He is the facilitator of the diplomatic runnings; People with false documents leaving Timehri as diplomats through the diplomatic lounge and switch passport on the plane. or body strapped with drugs. He is a convenient relic from the pnc era. When the time comes, he is one that certainly qualifies for several decades behind bars.
Posted by | January 26, 2011, 9:06 pm
The DEA, FBI and IRS are INVESTIGATING "TOWER COCAINE IN TILAPIA HOTEL" and JAMES COCAINE IN TILAPIA MANBAHAL.
Posted by | February 26, 2011, 12:49 pm
Bharrat Jagdeo is a homosexual. He limes with dougla girls to prove that he is not a faggot. He pays the girls to hang out with him.
His sex partners are Dr.ramroop, Manniram Prashad, Brian Yong and Dr. Coby Fripong.
He loves to suck dicks especially big ones.
Posted by | February 26, 2011, 2:19 pm
Posted by | November 30, 2011, 12:19 am
you sound a bit jealous of mr barrat jagdeo……………that is none of your business if he is paying them to hung out with him, i'm sure that u can't afford to pay girls to hung out with you, maybe you are one of those who fucks and lime with them for free! And what proof do u have that those men are his sexual partners? maybe u should go spend ur time wisely because barrat is living his life and u are wasting ur time judging what he is doing……. u should go get a life of your own because he is happy!
Posted by | September 2, 2011, 3:37 pm
You are correct Dr Frimpong gets a fat salary for buggering the passive Jagdeo.
Posted by | March 10, 2012, 1:39 am
i hear Jag get a big asshole…………. my friend fuck Frank….. the boy is a Unit Leader with PYARG
Posted by | May 16, 2011, 3:15 pm
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE REAL ESTATE THIEF ed ahmad WAS denied permission to Travel to Guyana to Visit his Girlfriend Jagdeeshri…he also claimed in court today that he is personal FRIEND OF THE PRESIDENT OF GUYANA ..this thief Ahmad is trying to run ..please note also that the properties that he put up for Bail does not have any equity , he does not own a Fancy Car Anymore he sold it for 100K a few months ago ..definitely he will make a perfect hen in prison
Posted by | July 29, 2011, 3:48 pm
David, we all try to be successful in life, and Ahmad seems to be a man who tries to develop himself, I do hope that he does not end up in prison and that he should try to sort out his business and desist from situation that could cause him problems, I think he is extremely handsome and I would hope that he does not end up in prison.
Posted by | September 3, 2011, 2:21 am
Antiman Fagdeo is a BUGGA BATTIE Man HORE , Fagdeo is Friends with the Owners of "COCAINE TOWER HOTEL" he is always at the CLUB at the "Tower COCAINE HOTEL"
Posted by | September 10, 2011, 11:25 am
wow all you fag or non fag really love the president of guyana to spend so much time talking about him
Posted by | November 29, 2011, 10:17 pm
Posted by | January 28, 2012, 5:10 pm
FAGDEO, KWAME,MANNY, BOBBY RAMROOP are ALL BUGGA BATTIE ANTIMEN with AIDS, they HAVE BUGGA PARTIES with SCHOOLBOYS.
Posted by | March 17, 2012, 9:41 am
Posted by | July 30, 2012, 10:02 pm
hey renny kevin, yu can sen u sun ova ot de reverend…e sound like e can set im strait, not like them otha reverends .
Posted by | October 5, 2012, 7:06 pm
I am seeing this blog for the first time. WOW! whilst some of you have some facts, That's not the whole story. Look at my avatar. it has three sides. yours, mine and the truth. I also have testimonials on who supplied jagdeo's brazilian women at castellani house compound. How much they were paid and what a good time they say they had! I also know whose wives visited State House alone and were let in without security checks. Hey even jesus surrounded himself with adoreing male sycophants. But that doesn't curse him beyond redemption…seems we need to refocus on the real issues.
Posted by | October 25, 2012, 1:04 pm
seems like the pink dollars a run things in Guyana as it does in the UK. The Taliban can do a better job than the pres of Guyana
Posted by | January 17, 2013, 9:40 pm
again a man been a youg professinal working years after years save his money , ggot a million US from the UN changed such and got 200 000 000 now a house like that worth that, now huges have so much houses and lands, now he paid the GRA 5 000 000 in taxes that not half, we need to understand taht mosses get 1 200 000 a month, grangers get 120 000 from his pension scheme, pluse now a whoppinng 1 500 000 for been a opposition and plus a guard, duty freee every three years, so is mooses come on let me talk more nnnnaaaa you see fa your self…
Posted by | January 19, 2013, 2:17 pm
if you get a man like benschop in the parliamnet the mooses you are a crimainal, come on demons, you no that you are a criminal, a now the afc the peace let me tell you people of guyanan a man like huges when he represent a case a saw a case in cotton rtree village where the farmer trying to sue the mma the people who gave them water for their crops, wondering if the afc can do better an d if so does the huges getting a cut from the money, al the farmer at cotton tree are the one need to protect there land but tyen again does farnmers pay taxes, i need the gra to cogo to cotton and do a auditting and get all those people to pay there taxes, at the end of the day tax payer money going to repay them…
Posted by | January 19, 2013, 2:22 pm
Guyanese ppl are in an abusive relationship with their country. No food, no jobs, no proper school system, no proper social system just mental abuses and promises to change, but yet Guyanese love this disgraceful Guyana. It is what it is. Why should Guyana change when it is quite accepted by Guyanese the way it is. It's like a man beating a woman…if she is still there then why change…maybe she likes it or she has no other choice and that's where the abuse comes in. Guyanese who can't get out of Guyana has to put up, shut up or get killed.
Posted by | May 12, 2013, 2:20 pm
Guyana is progressing Squidward!! 65,000 new registrations of motor vehicles in less than 5 years. Diamond, Grove, La Parfait Harmonie and Tuschen are growing villages. The skyline of GT is changing from wooden 3 storey buildings to state of the art 6-8 storey buildings. Marriott Hotel is almost completed and the infrastructure of Guyana's roadways are upgraded to a 4 lane thoroughfare. I bet you are one of those in the Diaspora who can't afford to own a car or own a home in Jewmerica. You should thank the black man Obama for the food stamps and Medicare. Guyanese don't go to dollar stores for bargain.
Too bad you can't afford the bus fare to the airport to come back to Guyana loser! The opposition is peddling their bullshit around the Diaspora. If we Guyanese are poor, why are 10,000 vehicles being sold and registered every year? And house lots are selling like hotcakes! We Guyanese deh good! Go and study about the rent you owe this month to the Jewish landlord you debt slave!!!
Posted by | May 13, 2013, 7:45 pm
What De rass?? Ayo leave ppl and their fancy lives.. work and build your own..
Posted by | October 16, 2013, 9:41 am
jagdeo sucking a lot of people wife and daughter…..chandini rambalack was one of them….oh in that picture with jagdeo signing the sexual offence bill….the fucker @ the back of him ( bodyguard) his name is Mcpherson…he and wesford does fuck….how the parliamentary opposition dnt investigate wahat is going with wesford ministry….she employed two presidential guard on a patrimely basis. they are Mcpherson and purai…these two chaps receive more than what they receive @ the presidential guard plus duty free concession and they doesn't meet that criteria. I guess because purai does fuck jagdeo drunking sister shanta.
Posted by | October 27, 2013, 8:58 pm
yo…uncle paul the biggest drugs lord in Guyana….supplied all the cement and trowel text to bugarat jagdeo when he was building pradoville 2 house. I have the info from an ex presidential guard who is in the states living happily.
Posted by | October 30, 2013, 9:45 pm
EDUL AHMAD REAL ESTATE CROOK STOLE $300M from POOR PEOPLE gave FAGDEO the BIGGEST ANTIMAN in GAYANA THE MATERIALS FOR HIS HOME IN PRADOVILLE ANTIMAN JAgdeo GAVE ED AHMAD LEONORA ESTATE .
Posted by | December 21, 2013, 11:58 am
If Batty men can ,command Authorities in G/Y,then what kind of real men living in that Country, them like baby Toys.
Posted by | February 20, 2014, 10:07 am
i heard that brazzy, babby, barrat, and kwame does keep bikini pool party in florida… only thing is that there ain't no girls… :D
Posted by | March 18, 2014, 2:19 pm
Stabroek News MARCH 24, 2014 · BY STAFF WRITER ·
In last Monday's editorial `Pass this bill' Stabroek News argued that it was time for the groups in Parliament to reach a compromise on the passage of the anti-money laundering bill as there was a growing risk of financial sanctions hitting the ordinary woman and man.
The point was made that for all of the gnashing of its teeth over this bill, the PPP was being grossly hypocritical as it had had several years with a clear parliamentary majority to pilot the enhanced measures necessary and nearly two years in the last Jagdeo administration when there were explicit warnings from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force that non-compliance could result in dire consequences.
Further, the editorial went on to say that the period 2003 to 2011 would come to be recorded as "one of the darkest and replete with the most egregious crimes that the AML/CFT bill is seeking to counter. During this period, there is little doubt that rampant money-laundering and the financing of terrorism was occurring in the shadowy activities of the several death squads and the unrestrained activities of convicted drug lord Roger Khan, who was bold enough to state that he had assisted the Jagdeo administration in fighting the crime wave triggered by the 2002 prison escapees. It is a period that will undoubtedly require careful examination of why there was a failure across the board to detect these activities."
It would appear that this passage in the editorial hit a raw nerve at Freedom House, or more precisely, in the camp of former President Jagdeo as the PPP went into overdrive accusing the newspaper of an attempt to tarnish the "character and successes of the former Bharrat Jagdeo administration". The statement by Freedom House points to an increasingly frenetic proxy campaign for Mr Jagdeo either for reasons of his international image or for domestic purposes. Time will tell which one it is.
Suffice to say, the editorial had nothing to do with the "character" or "successes" of the Jagdeo administration. Why Freedom House would reel off a compendium of his achievements is perplexing as the editorial did not address the record of Mr Jagdeo's entire presidency. That would be an exhaustive undertaking too onerous for these columns. Yet Freedom House was moved to argue that "The reality is that Guyana has been placed on the relevant pathway to economic development since, development projects under the Jagdeo Administration continue to impact positively on the daily lives of its citizens."
While many of the items on the Freedom House list are questionable in terms of their impact, success and propriety, there was one notable omission which would unbalance the cloying hagiography: the fate of the sugar industry. Indeed, the sugar industry was brought to its knees progressively and patently during the 12-year tenure by Mr Jagdeo, highlighted by the no doubt well-intentioned but gigantic failure at the Skeldon factory. Mr Jagdeo takes the major credit for that project. However, as stated before, the total record of Mr Jagdeo is for another occasion.
What is being examined are the actions of the Jagdeo administration that culminated in the manifestation of criminality in its grossest forms. Unfor-tunately for Freedom House, its statement was its worst enemy. The PPP statement opined that the "darkest" period referred to by Stabroek News was triggered by the February 23, 2002 Mash Day jail break and the beginning of a reign of terror in Guyana by criminals. It added that it was during that period the criminal gang of Rondell `Fineman' Rawlins shot and killed 11 law-abiding citizens including children at Lusignan, 12 persons in Bartica and eight miners who were working to make an honest living at Lindo Creek. The pinning of all three of these massacres on one gang is simplistic and questionable but that, too, is a matter for another occasion.
The breakout from prison was indeed the catalyst for the crime of that period but what cannot be ignored is that a full decade earlier, the PPP/C had been repeatedly warned that security reforms were desperately needed to professionalize the police force, strip away corruption, improve intelligence gathering capabilities and heighten the all-round capacity of the joint services to battle serious crime. These calls went unheeded as the PPP/C was too consumed with wanting to control the police force to permit a revamping. Former President Jagdeo assumed the presidency in 1999 and did nothing to alter that equation despite the fact that the Symonds Report of 2000 – the author of which is now assisting with limited police reforms – had recommended sweeping changes.
So when the notorious five broke out of Camp Street on Mashramani Day 2002 with the intent to cause maximum mayhem, the Jagdeo administration was caught completely flat-footed. It had no answer to the daily carnage. The police force was without adequate leadership, morale was low, ranks were outgunned and not motivated. No solution worked and several key Joint Services operations were compromised by infiltration.
This was when the criminalizing of the state began in earnest. Those who felt threatened by the marauders, many of them in the drug trade and in the deep underworld mobilized themselves and offered their services to those in authority. They conducted their own operations unimpeded by the security forces and when bullet-riddled bodies were discovered there would be knowing looks of unknowing. The term `phantom' gang was of the Jagdeo administration's coinage and the unrelenting allegations of connections between death squads and then Home Affairs Minister Gajraj brought the matter into sharp focus.
Into this cauldron, the activities of convicted drug lord Roger Khan became known to all and he would years later seek to stave off apprehension by the local police in relation to the theft of arms from Camp Ayanganna on the grounds that he had helped to beat back the criminals who were rampaging along the coast. Much earlier in the rampage Khan had been nabbed red-handed with electronic eavesdropping equipment and weaponry by alert GDF intelligence ranks in the midst of one of his crime fighting operations. After much hemming and hawing he was charged but like with many other sensitive, clear-cut cases, the charges against him were thrown out and he continued with his operations unimpeded. There have been credible reports that Khan was well-connected with government officials and on one occasion was seen on the premises of the Office of the President. His interconnections with crime, vigilantism and officials of the Jagdeo administration require an investigation of the order of the Commission of Inquiry that will soon embark on an examination of the killing of Dr Walter Rodney.
The PPP statement also went on to say that "Stabroek News must prove beyond reasonable doubt that during the 2003 to 2011 period; `rampant money laundering and financing of terrorism was evident around that time.' Rather than engaging in scandalous and vexatious allegations, the Stabroek News must come clean and provide the evidence in its pages". The guilty plea of Roger Khan in a US court to the shipping of drugs to the US, the conviction of others in foreign jurisdictions and the constant interception of drugs from Guyana in various parts of the world provide the starkest evidence of what the PPP seeks. The recruiting and financing of death squads by enforcers and drug lords for political and other purposes would also fall into the categories that the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill is seeking to fight.
There is only one other point in the PPP statement worth exposing, that is the claim that upon the death of `Fineman' in August of 2008 the government "embarked on national consultations aimed at reforming the Guyana Police Force." This is absolute piffle as the comprehensive report of the Disciplined Forces Commission (DFC) had been delivered in 2003 and not implemented. So derelict was the government in this respect that it is still today trying to address some of the key DFC recommendations and the Minister of Home Affairs is well into the second year of another supposed set of reforms which are still to yield results. Any consultations held after the death of `Fineman' would merely have been for the purpose of throwing up a smokescreen.
It remains the case that the PPP/C continues to toy with security reform and the operational readiness of the police force. The force remains in dire need of professionalizing and this grave lack will not be aided by airbrushing former President Jagdeo's record.
Posted by | March 28, 2014, 8:03 pm
Does the PPP honestly believe it is innocent or is it a deranged group?
Every year I would publish an analytical review of world politics. I did so for 2013 but it was never printed. And that is because I never submitted it. On the occasion when I was about to send it, Guyana's depraved exercise in power got in the way. It has been like that for many other columns.
I did a review of a new book on Guyanese history that painted a pro-PPP position on the troubles of the sixties but never submitted it. The runaway train of depraved power got in the way. I rushed to my keyboard and analyzed a piece of mouthing-off by Mr. Jagdeo in Essequibo at a PPP meeting to celebrate twenty years in power in which he said he, Jagdeo, took away the young lover of a certain media owner in Guyana. I didn't get the opportunity to send it off.
Recently, I looked at the inherent weakness of an observation by a certain weekly independent columnist in another newspaper in which he opined that the RACE thing exists in all countries, so why do we concentrate so obsessively on it in Guyana. It ended up lost somewhere on my hard drive.
This week for sure, I will look at Fazil Khan.
The reason why these columns remain invisible is because of the tsunami of power madness that gets in the way, so I rush to do another column on matters that need more attention. There is no letting up. Every day the Government of Guyana or the PPP does something that is so awful, so terrible, so undemocratic, that you have no time to publish an article on world politics or review a book on Guyanese history.
The exigency demands that you look at these waterfalls of political depravities.
Today's column should have been on the need for Guyana to suffer the consequences of the sanctions for the anti-money laundering lapse, so it can drive home to Guyanese that they have to be less self-destructive and confront their heartless government on the desire for good governance. But here I am doing a different column.
And it was motivated by the anger generated in me when I read a statement by the PPP rejecting an editorial by the Stabroek News, in which it opined that Mr. Jagdeo presided over some of the most disturbing periods in modern Guyanese history.
Unbelievable would be the adjective that would come out of the mouth of anyone who read the PPP reaction. The PPP let Stabroek News know that the more troubling days in Guyana's history were under the Burnham Government and it cited Walter Rodney and Father Darke's murders, and the shooting death of two protestors during the 1973 general elections.
As you read this sickening denial of the PPP horror story since 1999 and including the reign of Mr. Ramotar, you wonder to yourself; are these people sick? Do they know what they have done since 1992 to this country? It is impossible not to ask yourself if the PPP is not a psychotic organization, in that it lives outside the mainstream of reality.
How can a government be in power for twenty-two years, in which time, people were remanded for long periods for treason and sedition; people hauled before the courts for libel; people murdered in suspicious circumstances, including a Minister, and directions point to a centralized hand; attempts made on the life of critics; the press hounded down; civil servants dismissed under circumstances even the colonial government would find too tyrannical.
I could go on and the examples would fill volumes of books, not just newspaper columns, but my concern is not the mountains of depraved and abominable acts of tyranny committed against democracy in Guyana by the PPP since Mr. Jagdeo became president. There has been the constant need by the PPP to publicize the sins of the Burnham Government, with the specific desire to fool Guyanese into thinking that Mr. Burnham was the bad guy and Mr. Jagdeo was the good sermonizer.
Two questions face you in dealing with this macabre situation. One is that the PPP is truly a psychologically-wrecked collective. It has no mental awareness that it has been and is a terrible government, the members of which cannot avoid prosecution if the PPP loses power. The second one is that the PPP is fully aware that it has virtually collapsed, has lost all moral standing in the eyes of the world, and its only hope is that in telling the young population of Guyana that the PNC is the bad guy, it can survive in the future. I doubt it.
Posted by | March 28, 2014, 8:13 pm
Posted by | March 29, 2014, 12:34 pm
Dem boys seh…Bobby and Jagdeo frighten
Guyana beginning to look and sound crooked. Dem boys flying in a plane and dem see how shape change. One man seh that it tek de face of Jagdeo, another seh that de centre look like Brazzy belly and dem boys seh that de tail part look shaat like Bobby.
That happen because of de airwaves and since all de crooks flying in de air. Jagdeo give away half of Guyana after he done tek half fuh heself and he friends and family.
One quarter he give to de Chinese and de other quarter he give to de Brazilians. De real Guyanese, coolie and black man, ain't lef wid one S*&$##. De last thing he give way was de airwaves. He try fuh give way de sky but he find out that de sky belong to de Creatah.
He do all that to Guyana and he got de nerve fuh try to guh back in de chair. Dem boys got a message fuh he. Dem wouldn't rest until he and Brazzy and all of dem see de jail door. He never allow de DEA and de FBI because he know that he and all ee friends woulda done deh in jail because of wha dem people woulda done pick up. He only delay destiny.
Donald allow dem fuh come in but dem nah set up office yet. Dem deh all over de place. Some of dem wukking wid Bobby and he nah know. That is why de other day when he loss he office key he didn't realize that de Feds did want to search he office.
Dem boys would like to know wha dem find and how much dem see wha Jagdeo really own in Bobby business. Bobby change de lock in he office but by then de Feds did done get wha dem want.
Now Bobby distressed and Jagdeo worried over that. But Donald seh that if you nah do nutten you nah got fuh frighten anything. But Bobby and Jagdeo frighten.
Talk half and look out fuh de arrest.
Posted by | March 30, 2014, 12:21 pm
Jagdeo 'drools with renewed hunger' for high office
…had set in motion a two pronged strategy to regain power – Ramkarran
"Party stalwarts were retired, removed or sidelined…Independent voices were driven out…The newcomers, enticed with career opportunities…easily fell in line…"
Former Executive Member of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) Senior Counsel, Ralph Ramkarran delivered a stark warning to Head of State, Donald Ramotar, while suggesting that former President Bharrat Jagdeo is attempting to scheme his way back into power.
In his most recent writings on his conversationtree.org outlet.
Ramkarran first alluded to an article in the Guyana Times, which said that the Opposition had caused a poll to be conducted last month which found that "former President Bharrat Jagdeo would be the most formidable candidate that the Opposition parties…could face in any upcoming general elections."
Former PPP stalwart, Ralph Ramkarran
Former PPP stalwart, Ralph Ramkarran1
He noted that the following day, the state-owned Guyana Chronicle carried a similar front page headline: "Jagdeo favoured as PPP's presidential candidate" in an Opposition poll.
Both the Alliance for Change and A Partnership for National Unity have denied any such poll.
Ramkarran noted that the publications in the newspapers belie Jagdeo's protestations that he is not interested in a third term.
"This new campaign was no doubt inspired by talk of a landslide victory if he had been the candidate in 2011, and if he is now the candidate."
Ramkarran recalled too that an expensive campaign calling for a third term was also put together in 2010 which only fizzled out when the then General Secretary, Donald Ramotar, took a stand against a third term.
According to Ramkarran, now that elections appear to be on the horizon Jagdeo is "beginning to drool with renewed ambition and hunger for high office."
From the time he settled in to the Presidency and realized its potential to elevate him to 'greatness' and wealth (by saving), Jagdeo set in motion a two pronged strategy, Ramkarran says.
The former executive member of the party said that Jagdeo, while in office began to nurture and encourage a group of business people, many of whom expanded through opportunities available from state contracts and other linkages, into massive and still growing conglomerates.
"Today, crony capitalism has taken root in Guyana in a big way."
Ramkarran opines that the group of businessmen is personally loyal to Jagdeo and displays nominal loyalty to the PPP "but some are now quietly establishing or renewing links with the Opposition."
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo
According to Ramkarran the second limb of Jagdeo's plan was to break down any independent thinking and resistance to himself from the leadership of the PPP.
"Party stalwarts were retired, removed or sidelined…Independent voices were driven out, stilled or subverted…The newcomers, enticed with career opportunities and devoid of ideological commitment or political history, easily fell in line and learnt that exaggerated and sycophantic displays of loyalty offered security of tenure and protection, albeit limited, from the great man's rages."
Ramkarran noted that unfortunately, the core leadership of the PPP unwittingly succumbed in the early stages of the plans, not realizing their implications.
"Worse, even after the Party realized their purport, they went along, seeing only short term advantages and not the big picture."
According to Ramkarran, the party leadership certainly did not recognize that the ambitions of Jagdeo, who was soon to leave office, could not be contained.
"The 2011 elections revealed the extent of the damage to the Party."
According to Ramkarran, the open campaign for a third term, the direct challenge to President Ramotar and his leadership and the attempt to deprive him of a second term, whether of a minority government or not, were nevertheless exposed by the two publications.
He posits that Jagdeo "can only succeed if he divides the Party which he clearly has no qualms in doing." Ramkarran says that he can make bold to raise this direct challenge because, although President Ramotar recognizes the need to curb his influence, he has taken no decisive action to do so.
"President Ramotar is now paying the price for inaction, which will probably continue and which will become increasingly costly."
Ramkarran said that Jagdeo, salivating for office, is not going to give up against President Ramotar and the PPP who are not his comrades, but instruments of his now monumental ego and ambition.
"(Jagdeo's) scheming has been perfected into a high art," according to Ramkarran.
The billboard that was erected seeking to solicit support for a third term for then President Bharrat Jagdeo
The billboard that was erected seeking to solicit support for a third term for then President Bharrat Jagdeo
He says that Jagdeo, who now has nothing but contempt for the alleged failings of the leadership of the PPP and of the Government, arrogantly sees little obstacle in his path even though, "as one comrade told him immediately after the elections in 2011, 'it was your mansion and pension that caused the loss…The comrade, deprived of high office as a consequence, omitted the cussing out, loud music, lewd dancing, big rallies and years of hostility to sugar workers, all designed by the genius."
According to Ramkarran, Jagdeo succeeded in doing what the British, Americans and the PNC together could not do – deliver an electoral disaster to the Party of Cheddi Jagan.
"With his usual hubris he now believes that only he can reverse the disaster of his own creation, 'deal' with the Opposition and manage Guyana.
The PPP would unfortunately continue to regard an anti-socialist like Jagdeo as a 'comrade,' and defend him, in order to maintain the appearance of unity, "even though he has demonstrated by the publications and otherwise, over and over again, that he cares nothing about Party unity."
Ramkarran observed that the success of his plan for the Party has weakened it, has caused simmering discontent, has led to the almost total depletion of leadership material which understands the primacy of the PPP's commitment to the disadvantaged within certain ideological perspectives and underpinnings.
Ramkarran in his writings, warned that unless the Jagdeo grip on the throat of the Party and Government is prised open by President Ramotar, finger by finger, and he nurtures the leaders mentioned, and they in turn show some political courage, the intellectual successors of Jagdeo will eventually inherit the leadership of the Party and Government, and he and they will have the last laugh.
Posted by | March 31, 2014, 9:40 am
Third term' campaign – Moses Nagamootoo
There seems to be something more sinister about the "Jagdeo Third Term" saga, says Alliance for Change Parliamentarian, Moses Nagamootoo.
According to Nagamootoo the Ralph Ramkarran column from last Sunday really "hit the hammer on the nail".
Ramkarran, a former PPP/C stalwart in his weekly blog, delivered a stark warning to Head of State, Donald Ramotar, suggesting that former President Bharrat Jagdeo is attempting to scheme his way back into power.
According to Nagamootoo, everyone saw how persons whom he refers to as the "gang of B's" coined the campaign of "Bring Back Bharrat". Nagamootoo told Kaieteur News that he strongly believes that the "gang" isn't so "concerned" about a third term but something more sinister.
"The gang knows that the notion of a third term is a like kite that cannot fly. The tail is too heavy to make it fly" Nagamootoo said. He explained that the campaign is even more sinister and perhaps less noticeable by the general public and the PPP membership.
It could see Ramotar being forced to step down as President before the end of his term and Jagdeo being installed. Then he does not breach the constitutional provision which states that he cannot be re-elected.
According Nagamootoo, former President Bharrat Jagdeo has been a debilitating factor which was introduced into the PPP. He said that everyone has seen him operate by stealth trying to wield control.
"Because he had access to the Ministry of Finance and it's a fairly influential position he was able to corral under his side people who could be easily compromised" Nagamootoo opined.
The idea in the PPP was described brilliantly by Dr. Joey Jagan who said that the "Gang of Eight" out of 15 members of the leadership, which is the executive committee, can control literally the party which is like the head.
According to Nagamootoo, the former president had worked his way among the group of trained leaders of the party, and moved the Gang of Eight to his side.
"I think that they are attempting to start a rift inside the party to be able to get Jagdeo to control the Gang of Eight, in which case they could ask President Ramotar to step aside for whatever reason as what has happened with Janet Jagan in 1999 and allow Jagdeo to act as president until fresh elections," Nagamootoo posited.
Ramkarran first alluded to an article in the Guyana Times, which said that the Opposition had caused a poll to be conducted last month which found that "former President Bharrat Jagdeo would be the most formidable candidate that the Opposition parties…could face in any upcoming general elections."
Bharrat Jagdeo
He noted that the following day, the state-owned Guyana Chronicle carried a similar front page headline: "Jagdeo favoured as PPP's presidential candidate" in an Opposition poll. Both the Alliance for Change and A Partnership for National Unity have denied any such poll.
Ramkarran noted that the publications in the newspapers belie Jagdeo's protestations that he is not interested in a third term.
"This new campaign was no doubt inspired by talk of a landslide victory if he had been the candidate in 2011, and if he is now the candidate." Ramkarran recalled too that an expensive campaign calling for a third term was also put together in 2010 which only fizzled out when the then General Secretary, Donald Ramotar, took a stand against a third term.
According to Ramkarran, now that elections appear to be on the horizon, Jagdeo is "beginning to drool with renewed ambition and hunger for high office." From the time he settled in to the Presidency and realized its potential to elevate him to 'greatness' and wealth (by saving), Jagdeo set in motion a two pronged strategy, Ramkarran says.
The former executive member of the party said that Jagdeo, while in office began to nurture and encourage a group of business people, many of whom expanded through opportunities available from state contracts and other linkages, into massive and still growing conglomerates.
According to Ramkarran, the party leadership certainly did not recognize that the ambitions of Jagdeo, who was soon to leave office, could not be contained. "The 2011 elections revealed the extent of the damage to the Party."
The open campaign for a third term, the direct challenge to President Ramotar and his leadership and the attempt to deprive him of a second term, whether of a minority government or not, were nevertheless exposed by the two publications.
He posits that Jagdeo "can only succeed if he divides the Party, something he clearly has no qualms in doing." Ramkarran says that he can make bold to raise this direct challenge because, although President Ramotar recognizes the need to curb his influence, he has taken no decisive action to do so.
Posted by | April 4, 2014, 7:35 am
Jagdeo's legacy was already tarnished …
Dear Editor,
Those whom Cheddi Jagan lifted from obscurity to megalomania at Freedom House are concerned about Stabroek News tarnishing of the legacy of Bharrat Jagdeo. Mr Jagdeo was President of Guyana from August 11, 1999 to December 3, 2011. Guyana became a major drug transhipment point and crime-infested republic during that period, and attained its pinnacle of inequality, injustice, corruption, cronyism, immorality and unfairness. This is some achievement considering the dreaded PNC regime swung a wrecking ball at this country for 28 years. So what is there to tarnish when it has already been tarnished? Mr Jagdeo was trained as an economist, yet Guyana under Jagdeo achieved the following yearly GDP growth rates from 2000 to 2011 inclusive: 2000: -1.4%, 2001: 2.2%, 2002: 1.1%, 2003: -1%, 2004: 3.3%, 2005: -2%, 2006: 5.1%, 2007: -3.6%, 2008: 2%, 2009: 3.3%, 2010: 4.4% and 2011: 5.4%. Guyana had total annualized GDP growth of 18.8% in the 12 full years of Mr Jagdeo's rule. Dentist Cheddi Jagan oversaw the following GDP growth rates from 1993 to 1996 inclusive: 1993: 8.2%, 1994: 8.5%, 1995: 5% and 1996: 7.9%. Janet Jagan achieved annual GDP growth as follows from 1997 to 1999: 1997: 6.2%, 1998: -1.7% and 1999: 3%, an average of 2.5% in those years. Those propagating the myth of Jagdeo as a leader believe they can con the Guyanese people; they cannot.
The most telling legacy from the Jagdeo era is the criminalization of the society. Add waste (Skeldon Sugar Factory), incompetence (we cannot collect full LCDS payouts under Guyana-Norway agreement because of a self-strangulating agreement), cronyism (Berbice River bridge paid for primarily by taxpayers but private companies are reaping the most profits), and an indifference to wrongdoing and we get to the almost failed state we have today.
It is no wonder the PPP continues to decline. It is no wonder there has been a mass exodus of PPP supporters. Everything is a game of historical jumping jacks to Freedom House. When Stabroek News quotes a period of terror and crime within the last decade, the PPP hijackers at Freedom House become like automated kangaroos jumping several decades further back to haul up erstwhile events that the majority of citizens and PPP supporters do not care about.
Backward looking idealism is symptomatic of the backward mindset infecting Freedom House. Present atrocities must be addressed with past atrocities. Walter Rodney's killing in 1980 is raised when the killing of so many Guyanese is happening yearly right now. Did so many Guyanese lose their lives in 1980 when Rodney was killed or when the two PPP activists were shot over the ballot box incident? Were Berbicians being incessantly terrorized by bandits then as they are now? Mash Day would not have occurred if the PPP had reformed the prison system, professionalized the police force and strengthened security and the protection of the citizenry, something which their own supporters had demanded for decades before they returned to power in 1992. The attempt to use drug trafficking cartels to fight criminals has left us with even more crime. Using criminals to kill criminals has given us even more criminality. Mexico and Colombia have a DEA office, Guyana has none.
Do Clement Rohee and his associates really call the pathetic performance of the Guyanese economy under the PPP relative to the rest of the world and similar economies responsible fiscal management? Does a country with 83,000 square miles of some of the richest territory on earth with a mere 750,000 people to reap the benefits but which is still mired in poverty really a model of responsible fiscal management? If Haiti did not have the natural disasters it suffered in the last 21 years, it would have outgrown Guyana economically despite its humongous population! Why didn't Mr Jagdeo use these state of the art health facilities his government created when he got sick instead of jetting off to foreign lands? The PPP has not fixed many of these decrepit hospitals but wants to spend taxpayers' money to create a Specialty Hospital.
Is domination of the Amerindian people by throwing them outboard engines and vehicles, and expecting them to politically bow to the PPP hinterland development? Is the smuggling of our gold by foreign and local miners also hinterland development? Was the dried-up Amaila Falls of US$1billion fame, hinterland development? Guyana's international image has been rebuilt indeed; we are now known as a cocaine trafficking nation.
Is a boundary award obtained after a pathetic government incapable of militarily defending its territory was chased out of its own territory by a smaller neighbour now something to celebrate? It was our territory to begin with as the award confirmed, and the PPP was incapable of defending it just as this PPP government has bent over and allowed Venezuela to hold this country to economic ransom with PetroCaribe.
The fibre optic cable is now years behind schedule and has drained and continues to drain tens of millions of US dollars from taxpayers' pockets, and an airport expansion that is overpriced and not justified by demand is now development. House lot distribution is a PPP success but so has been the giveaway of prime lands to a select few. Mr Jagdeo who has saved to afford a mansion worth millions on the local market still, despite his ability to be able to build such a mansion, got his land at Pradoville 2 at a price below what remigrants are asked to pay. This is not to say the PPP has done no good.
The problem is it is difficult to see and even some of the projects which could bring genuine benefit to the country are so damaged by graft, or misuse or waste, that they no longer produce a viable return on taxpayers' money.
Yours faithfully,
M Maxwell
Posted by | April 9, 2014, 9:26 am
Why the PPP gets away with excesses
Do you know the police can arrest you for buying foreign ice cream? There is no doubt about it; the young population of this country if asked which President was a terrible leader would say Bharrat Jagdeo. Given our demographic structure, they are too young to know that President Burnham was far from democratic.
In fairness to Mr. Burnham, I lived under his reign and had caustic encounters with him and I suffered but one has to be the epitome of intellectual depravity to argue that Forbes Burnham was more extreme than Jagdeo.
Any scholarly comparison, I believe, would have Mr. Burnham coming out far better than Mr. Jagdeo. As a layman and a trained academic, I believe Mr. Forbes Burnham was a better President than Mr. Jagdeo
What is it about Guyana that allowed Mr. Jagdeo such gigantic latitudes for dictatorial behaviour that even the Ramotar presidency enjoys? Take the madness that came out of the mouth of Minister Irfaan Ali. If such words were said in any other Caribbean country, there would have been angry denunciations. Mr. Ali is quoted in this newspaper as telling one of its reporters that the advice of the government to commuters is not to pay a $20 minibus increase and that they must take the bus number to the police.
Obviously, the government had to inform the police of the situation, why else would the commuter go to the police. What Mr. Ali and the Government of Guyana have done is to proclaim that they don't care about laws and to make it more horrible, they order the police to do the same thing.
There is no law under which a minibus driver can be arrested for hiking his fare. The reality is that minibus fares are not regulated by law. You can call the driver unreasonable or refuse to pay him but he cannot be arrested.
To think that the government can openly embrace such lawlessness and the media, human rights community, Bar Association, opposition parties and the society in general stood silent is graphic proof of why dictators get away with their horror shows.
You may think it is a joke but after what Irfaan Ali said, who knows what next is coming. Maybe if the Government has an ice-cream manufacturer it favours, he can report you to the police for patronizing the foreign version. Maybe the police can arrest you if you choose to support a football match at another venue instead of the one the government would like you to attend at another ground.
If you find these examples absurd then how do you account for what Ally said about the minibus fare?
What Irfaan Ali did explains why Jagdeo became such an invincible dictator. So let us answer the question why this country allowed Jagdeo to do what ever he wanted and why we are now silent about the Jagdeo pattern that Ramotar has adopted? The answer is as old as time itself.
Consider Hitler of Germany, Amin of Uganda, Doe of Liberia, and Bush of the US.
Hitler committed one atrocity after another and there was no national outcry. The result was psychological invincibility. Hitler felt that he couldn't be touched. The same applied for Amin and Doe. After Bush began to assault American democracy using the war on terror as his reason, the American people refused to check him until it was too late.
When they woke up they found that American democracy was shaken to its foundation by the extremism of Bush.
Jagdeo began to take small tyrannical steps after the 2001 elections when he felt that Mrs. Jagan could no longer give him instructions. From 2001 to 2006, Mr Jagdeo had a taste of untamed power and he saw the society's fear and compliance. Invincibility began to creep in.
Mr. Jagdeo knew he had become a powerful president whose authority was unchecked. Then came another victory in 2006 and untamed power became absolute power. As the years wore on absolute power became omnipotent power.
By the time we reached 2011 when was time for him to demit office, Jagdeo had become the first absolute dictator in the history of the British West Indies. There was nothing Mr. Jagdeo wanted he could not do and he did it.
Where President Burnham was sacred because he wondered what the PPP, WPA, Catholic Standard, would say or do if he overdid it, there was no such hesitancy under the Jagdeo presidency.
By the time he left office, Mr. Jagdeo had virtually destroyed the weak pillars of Guyanese democracy inherited from the British in 1966. Will we allow Ramotar to copy Jagdeo? The truth is, we are doing so.
Posted by | April 10, 2014, 6:20 pm
Penis erection politics and the goat man's goat politics
The incident in which a powerful PPPite told a very young journalist in a request for an interview that he still can achieve penis erection has come at an interesting time. In Trinidad, the Prime Minister is in an ongoing no-nonsense mood. She has fired several Ministers over embarrassing indiscretions. Had one of her Ministers done what this PPPite did to that journalist, he would have been fired.
In Guyana, the reverse is the opposite, the more sexually depraved are the apparatchiks, the greater the protection by the party machine. The sexual thing in politics in Guyana is not new. Maybe it goes way back to the early post-colonial days. But the sickening and semi-civilized dimensions can really be dated to the era of the champion.
The champion really dirtied the personality, mind, soul, heart and character of the PPP. It is not that the PPP had much of those elements anyway, but what little the PPP had of them, the champion destroyed with the saturation of sexual excesses.
One simply has to do elementary Freudian analysis on the penis erection encounter and one will see how sexual morbidities have taken over the PPP Government. There are literally millions of ways you can indicate to a woman that you want to have sex with her. You have to belong to a culture of extreme lecherousness to tell her; "I want you to know I still can get an erection."
Why did he descend to such vulgar levels? Because this is what he has seen since the champion took over his party and the country.
Look who the champion surrounded himself with? Look what crazy sexual things they say and do? Let me repeat in these columns about an incident that took place with me and one of the most intimate pals of the champion. I was coming out of the Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on New Garden Street when this tall friend of the champion who is a stain on the revolutionary credentials of the African people of Guyana came into my car.
He just opened the door and sat down. I swear on my life, this is what he did. There wasn't time to stop him. He asked if I was going downtown, then said, "This is the first time I've see you in person; I didn't know you were so small, how you is manage to F… all those women at UG?" That is how this man greeted me. This man became extremely close to the champion.
Imagine what direction he and the champion went into. I can tell you that when Roger Khan was in his prime, there were nasty late parties at the Pegasus in which the type of debaucheries that took place there featured many prominent members of the corridors of power as participants.
This is the direction the champion took the PPP into.
This is the only world the penis erection man knows, that is why after one of the annual anniversary events of Cheddi Jagan's death at the mansion of the champion, he took a 14-year-old and played with her at his home rather than keep the promise to her mother that he would take her to her home. The penis erection incident will not be the last.
The culture of sexual escapades has overtaken the organization that Cheddi Jagan left behind. To hear about these sexual escapades would sicken you, especially since they involved underage age boys and girls.
It simply boggles the mind why the powerful United States has not moved against this regime given its mountain of unspeakable immoralities. My two nephews and my brother-in-law visited from Canada some years ago and we stayed way into the early morning at Celina Resort at the Kitty pump station.
The caprine Minister came in with another gentleman and two definitely underage teens.
What the penis erection man did is just the tip of the iceberg. But that will not deter the goat man. The goat man will continue to tell Guyanese that his party and his government are the best things to have happened to Guyana.
The goat man is going to completely black out from his press conference notes or from his mind when he addresses his party supporters that penis erection politics has permanently damaged the image of his party.
The goat Minister is not going to tell Guyanese that never before in the history of politics, has power been so intertwined with sexual miasma, sexual orgies, sexual vocabulary as in the rule of the PPP since 1999. Sad though that as the goat man continues to sing his song of PPP goodness, penis erection politics will continue to make him look like a goat.
Posted by | April 13, 2014, 9:07 am
Prosperity for a few on the backs of all is what Hydar Ally and the PPP celebrate
Dear Editor,
Hydar Ally's article titled "The rising tide of prosperity" (KN, Apr 12, 2014) was standard PPP propaganda dancing lewdly in front of us and telling us it is a modest creature. The kangaroo tendency of the PPP to jump backward into the past when confronted by its shortcomings and atrocities of the present is now legendary.
Hydar Ally speaks of negative economic growth under the PNC. But Hydar Ally will not tell us of the shoddy and pitiful economic performance of the PPP in an era of unrestrained free market growth from the 1990s to present. Cheddi Jagan oversaw the following GDP growth rates from 1993 to 1996 inclusive: 1993: 8.2%, 1994: 8.5%, 1995: 5% and 1996: 7.9%. Janet Jagan achieved annual GDP growth as follows from 1997 to 1999: 1997: 6.2%, 1998: -1.7% and 1999: 3%. Mr Jagdeo was trained as an economist, yet Guyana under Jagdeo achieved the following yearly GDP growth rates from 2000 to 2011 inclusive: 2000: -1.4%, 2001: 2.2%, 2002: 1.1%, 2003: -1%, 2004: 3.3%, 2005: -2%, 2006: 5.1%, 2007: -3.6%, 2008: 2%, 2009: 3.3%, 2010: 4.4% and 2011: 5.4%. Donald Ramotar had economic growth of 4.8% in 2012 and 5.2% in 2013. That is 73.1% total annualized GDP growth over 21 years or growth or 3.48% per annum for the past 21 years. The entire world economy grew by 3.5% annually over this time period. So much for this pathetic economic charade the shallow comrades at Freedom House are crowing over!
That is lacklustre economic growth by any stretch of the imagination and certainly when one considers Guyana as one of the most blessed nations in terms of resources per capita. That is a shameful performance for a country with Guyana's distinct advantages of (1) small population (2) high debt writeoffs (3) significant per capita natural resource allocation (4) English speaking population (5) cheap labour (6) close proximity to Latin American, Brazilian, South American and North American markets and (7) significant remittance inflows. We missed out on the commodity booms and instead cocaine became our strongest export in the past 20 years. Massive countries devastated by the fall of communism like China and Russia with hundreds of millions and over a billion in populations were able to lift their people out of poverty yet the economic charlatans at Freedom House were able to deliver a pathetic 3.48% annual GDP growth over 21 years.
Now that we know the PPP's dismal economic performance in relation to the rest of the world, we must consider the type of economy inherited by the PPP. The PPP operates Hoyte's economy without any significant alterations over the past 20 years. Hoyte handed the PPP an economy that grew by 6.026% and 7.758% in 1991 and 1992 respectively. The PPP got a booming economy from the PNC, ready for takeoff in a free market system. The economy has sputtered since. The PPP's sordid claim to fame as an economic rejuvenator is bogus. Its lifelong excuse of inheriting a broken economy from the PNC does not fly anymore. The following countries all had decrepit socialist and communist economies – USSR, China, India, Vietnam, Albania, Angola, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Cambodia, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, former Yugoslavia republics, Ukraine, Belarus, Algeria, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Seychelles and Suriname- and they have all outperformed the PPP's Guyana.
The other issue with Ally's propaganda is prosperity for whom: the fat cat contract worker friends of the PPP like some sitting at OP and collecting inflated salaries to write mindless drivel to the nation's independent newspapers or the lean sugar workers trying to stay afloat financially? Is it prosperity for the lucky few who get government contracts or the unlucky not so few who have to make out with the contract of indenture the PPP has saddled them with? Prosperity for the Pradoville mansion builders or the Plastic City shantytown residents?
Or is it prosperity for the drug dealers, gun runners, contraband traders, fuel smugglers, pimps and money launderers versus prosperity for the decent citizen struggling to find his or her daily bread. Prosperity by inequality, by taking taxes and VAT collected from all including the poor and giving it to a few in choice contracts is not prosperity. Nor is allowing drug kingpins to flourish in prosperity.
The GDP per capita does not reflect the dangerous and crippling repercussions of the PPP's wrongdoing, marginalization and cronyism. It does not show the chasms and gulfs between the haves and the have-nots.
The PPP have glorified the demise of the working class people. And these rogues still have the temerity to keep Cheddi Jagan's photograph adorning their Freedom House shrine.
M. Maxwell
Posted by | April 14, 2014, 5:36 pm
Vulgarity is part of life; in this country, some might say, too much part of it. But even here, there is a general feeling that there are some places and some occasions where it should not find a receptive environment, and one of those is the nation's Parliament. While in some ways the National Assembly is a dysfunctional institution, the reasons for which cannot all be blamed on the MPs who grace its precincts, some of our lawmakers are nevertheless guilty of inappropriate behaviour which diminishes its status in the eyes of the public.
Those who sit in Parliament are paid by the citizens of Guyana to represent them. As such, they are expected to take seriously the issues before them; research their areas of expertise; listen to the concerns of their particular constituents and try to pursue these; engage in genuine debate with those on the opposite benches to arrive at the best decisions for the country; and generally conduct themselves in a way that commands respect – or at a minimum, does not attract opprobrium. The last-mentioned particularly applies to ministers of government.
The rules require that members do not simply read an address, although they can refer to notes and read out certain portions; for the most part, however, they should be speaking extempore. As it is, that tradition has been in abeyance for many years, and certainly there is no one in our Parliament who could emulate the former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan who at the age of 90 gave a fluent maiden speech in the House of Lords without notes that lasted 32 minutes. Not surprisingly, the assembled peers of the realm gave him a standing ovation.
The citizenry is probably not too fussy at this stage about whether MPs read their presentations or not, but they do want to feel that some level of serious debate is going on, and as said above that the nation's potential projects and real problems are the subject of meaningful exchanges. But even this is open to question, with the situation deteriorating in the current Parliament probably because the government has turned its face against any level of negotiation, dialogue or debate with the combined opposition. As a consequence, the members' addresses for the most part are at best formulaic and at worst polemical. A notable exception during the recent budget debate, was that by newcomer Dr Karen Cummings.
This does not mean that the National Assembly should be devoid of any humour or even some controlled raucousness in the form of heckling, which is an old tradition dating back hundreds of years to the British House of Commons. There are well-established limits to what can be said, however, as there are during the formal presentations as well, where members have to eschew ad hominem comments. (To cultivate an air of respect members also refer to each other by the title 'Honourable.') Personal insults should invite the intervention of the Speaker, who will then demand an apology, which if not forthcoming can produce a ban on the offending member.
So it was that the week before last Minister of Education Priya Manickchand heckled APNU member Volda Lawrence while she was speaking about rape victims with a remark about the father of MP Jaipaul Sharma. As is well known, Mr C N Sharma has been charged with sexual offences and the matters are currently sub judice. Rightly, Speaker Raphael Trotman asked for an apology, which was not forthcoming, and so he placed a ban on Ms Manickchand. Quite inexplicably, however, Mr Trotman appeared to reverse himself when the National Assembly next met, and Minister Manickchand was allowed to speak on education with APNU Chief Whip Amna Ally being the only opposition member present; the others had walked out.
It was without question a flawed decision, more particularly since last year Ms Vanessa Kissoon had behaved similarly inappropriately, this time with the heckle being directed towards Minister
Robeson Benn. She was required to apologise by the Speaker, and did so. It might be noted in passing that there is nothing like consistency to enhance a Speaker's reputation, while the reverse, of course, will damage it. That aside, as Mr Jaipaul Sharma later observed at the time of his resignation, no member of APNU came to his defence when the Minister heckled; it was the Speaker who took action. As for Ms Manickchand, she apparently believes herself above reproach. She should be careful, because she is acquiring a reputation for contemptuous behaviour, which is never good for a politician.
If the public thought that this year's spate of budget vulgarity was at an end, they were mistaken. There was Presidential Advisor Odinga Lumumba to come. It was not just that what he had to say was vulgar; it was also that it was incendiary, offensive, unmitigated drivel. Futilely attempting to ground his insults in the events of the American Civil Rights movement and the statements of the Black Panthers, he said "certain people" could be labelled "termites and uncle Toms." And what triggered this aberrant outburst? It must have astonished all rational citizens to learn that it was the opposition stance on the sugar industry.
He also told members in the House that those who took this stand "run the risk of being mistaken as architects of ethnic and geographical discrimination. Let us not forget Rwanda, Kosovo, and Hitler Germany… it was narrow analysis that led the conflagration in these states." Leaving aside the rank absurdity of this piffle, it is also testimony to appalling historical ignorance. Should we really have someone who cannot tell the difference between what Hitler did in Germany and opposition criticism in relation to the sugar industry, representing us in Parliament? Quite clearly, this is a member who does not have a clue what he is talking about.
One would have expected that even Mr Lumumba's own colleagues would have been embarrassed, but it seems nothing disturbs the smooth contours of their political cocoon. And in contrast to the case of Mr Sharma, Leader of the Opposition David Granger was on his feet fast enough in this instance.
There has always been bottom house vulgarity in our politics and later on our TV screens, but up until the last few years it tended with some exceptions to be kept off the big public political platforms (although there were plenty of code words in use) and outside the confines of the parliamentary chamber. The father of political vulgarity in its modern incarnation is undoubtedly former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who used any and every occasion, formal or otherwise, to unleash his political barrages. Ms Manickchand clearly belongs to the same school. One must infer that both she and Mr Lumumba have the sanction of Freedom House for their approach. If so, the PPP needs to rethink its modus operandi. Taxpayers don't pay MPs' salaries for this kind of dismal vulgar performance.
Posted by | April 15, 2014, 7:33 am
Manickchand's manipulanda and mannalichen
In this country, libel is quick to follow critics. Even if people don't know the meaning of words they assume they are libelous and you get a lawsuit. I had fun with Bharrat Jagdeo when I referred to his politics as derived ultimately from his bennettitaceous style. (see my May 17, 2010 column, "Benn's benthoscope and Guyana's bennettitaceous dictatorship."
I learned that a libel writ was to be filed but they could not come up with a definition of "bennettitaceous." The little dictators are funny people. They do not know how to do elementary research. They probably checked the dictionary instead of a science encyclopedia for the word and couldn't find it. Of course the little dictators don't know that you can pull a word from science and contextualize it in political or journalistic writings.
I used "bennettitaceous" about three times in my columns to denote the source of Jagdeo's excesses and I believe that style holds the key to explaining why he became so intolerant of the population.
Let me assure my editor that the two words above that are supposed to rhyme with Manickchand are not used in any libelous sense at all. I found them appropriate after her explanation as to why she would not apologize directly to Jaipaul Sharma. Manipulanda is the plural of manipulandum. Definition- something that is to be manipulated. In Manickchand's case, the manipulandum was public opinion.
In claiming that she could not apologize to Sharma because of her sympathy with rape victims, Manickchand was hoping to bend and shape public opinion in her favour away from the fact that Mr. CN Sharma is not convicted off rape, that the case is still in the courts and it was highly injudicious to pronounce on something that is sub judice. Manickchand's mannequin did not make the showcase.
The public believed, then and still think, that Manickchand was way out of line and an apology should have been made to Jaipaul Sharma. The Speaker provided a safety net for Manickchand by a faulty ruling, a decision he ought to apologize for. That error by the Speaker has not stopped the outrage against this lady, the latest being a devastating Stabroek News column.
Mannalichen is another example of mine where I lift a word from science and apply it to social analysis. It refers to a type of lichen that is crustaceous and scaly and blows all over the place in the African and Arabian deserts. For this purpose, it refers to those colleagues of Manickchand that roam all over Guyana doing things that should meet with the revulsion of Manickchand.
Was it not under Manickchand's watch at the Ministry of Social Services that Kwame McCoy was appointed to the Rights of the Child Commission? Is there any published document or unpublished document available to researchers to ascertain how Manickchand felt about this appointment? Is it too late for her to comment on McKoy's membership? Was Manickchand not a Minister when one of the most shocking episodes in politics anywhere in the world occurred when Varshnie Singh went public with horrible accusations against a sitting President?
It is the most inflexible stance of this columnist that the Varshnie Singh/Bharrat Jagdeo scandal has no parallel in modern world politics.
Those accusations would have caused the downfall of any President or Prime Minister in all, I say, all the democratic states in the world. To date, Mr. Jagdeo has not answered even one of the claims made by Ms. Singh. Looked at from any angle, it was abuse, mistreatment and psychological mauling of a woman by a President who used his office to achieve his plan.
None of the women in the PPP Government, who constantly see public opinion as their manipulanda, have come out in support of Varsnie Singh,
I will give Manickchand the benefit of the doubt that she is not aware of the PPP's mannalichen but the information is out there. She can get it if she wants. But if she does, will she mention the names as she did with Sharma? The list includes the beating of a wife in a night club in my hometown of Wortmanville, by the lecherous bandit/pandit whose life would make an interesting Lifetime movie.
Which brings me to a question; as a practising Hindu, did Manchickchand ever host a ceremony over which this Pandit presided? After a ceremony at a renal clinic up the East Coast, all the young female journalists declined the offer of a ride to Georgetown from a PPPite.
Interestingly the Stabroek says Ms. Manickchand and Jagdeo belong to the same school. Wow!
Posted by | April 15, 2014, 8:40 am
Govt. must explain $80M Ed Ahmad land deal – APNU
Government must explain the details surrounding a land deal with New-York based Guyanese, Edul Ahmad, who received a 17-acre plot of prime land at West Coast Demerara, but failed to build a wood processing plant as promised.
Ed Ahmad
Ed Ahmad
Instead, Ahmad, said to be a close associate of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, converted it to house lots and is now set to make at least $600M from his $80M investment.
The Opposition is not taking the matter lightly, with the coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), demanding an entire review of the transaction.
According to APNU Member of Parliament, Joseph Harmon, whenever state resources are allocated or sold for specific purposes to help create jobs, then any changes will require a different consideration. This will include a full assessment of that change, with considerations of the market value of the land.
In the case of the land sold to Ahmad, Harmon stressed that it was almost 17 acres of prime property at Leonora.
"To convert this land from a wood processing plant project to create jobs to now selling house lots is concluding that the new owner is profiteering. We could have gotten more money if the true purpose was disclosed initially."
The MP insisted that with Ahmad known as a "friend of the administration", the transaction itself becomes even more questionable.
"I believe that to make changes would be breaching the conditions of the lease or the sale of the land. Clearly, this is highly unacceptable, and speaks of how this Government and previous ones go about handling the assets and business of the people."
The land in question was sold about five years ago to Ahmad through a local company, South American Woods Incorporated, in which his name appears as one of the directors. It was the understanding that the low cost of $80M for the land was because of the promise it was to be used for the establishment of the wood processing plant.
The project, Leonora Mall and Hollywood Garden, is being managed by Leonora Projects which is owned by Shareef and Ed Ahmad. The transaction was handled by the controversial National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL), headed by Winston Brassington.
The land was once the managers' compound of Leonora sugar estate which once fell under the control of the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation. Around 2009, NICIL reportedly sold it to Ahmad for $80M or about $4.7M per acre. According to the company's website, Leonora Projects is planning to construct 87 homes on the site. A house lot is now being sold for at least $7M. This means that the $80 million plot of land is now worth more than $600M.
The company is also building homes for at least $30M each.
It is the plan to include a full gas and service station, facilities to house two banks and a huge shopping mall.
The Leonora projects are being run from Ahmad's building materials depot at Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
NICIL itself has been embroiled in a number of questionable transactions, including its privatization of the Sanata Complex in Ruimveldt, which was sold cheaply to Queens Atlantic, headed by former President Bharrat Jagdeo's best friend, Dr. Ranjisinghi 'Bobby' Ramroop.
NICIL's point man, Winston Brassington, is at the centre of a number of questionable deals including the Marriott Hotel and financial arrangements of the Berbice River Bridge.
Ahmad was charged by the US Federal authorities for his involvement in a massive real estate fraud scheme. In October 2012, during a plea deal in a New York court, he was found guilty of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to defraud several lending institutions over a period of 15 years.
Posted by | April 16, 2014, 7:40 am
Ed Ahmad gears to make $600M on $80M GuySuCo land deal
…changes from wood processing plant to housing scheme
Almost five years after acquiring a huge piece of prime, seaside property to develop a value-added wood processing operation, a New York-based Guyanese businessman has now instead converted the area into house lots.
However, there has been no official announcement by the administration over the new arrangements and who would have given the permission.
The conditions of sale were that the company would have set up a factory to creat jobs for persons in the neighbourhood.
This condition was responsible for the low price they paid for the land. There has been no factory to date. Instead there is a multi-million-dollar housing development project.
The project, Leonora Mall and Hollywood Garden, is being managed by Leonora Projects which is owned by Shareef and Ed Ahmad. The latter is said to be a close associate of former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
The name of this project is advertised on a signboard established at the site of what was to be the location of the wood processing plant.
The conversion of the almost 17-acre plot to the Leonora Mall and Hollywood Garden has been raising eyebrows as again, it is the controversial National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL) that is involved.
Winston Brassington heads NICIL although he offered his resignation almost a year ago. He was the one that piloted this deal with Ahmad.
The land, located around a scenic turn, was once the managers' compound. It was under the control of the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and home to a pool and several of GuySuCo's senior staffers.
Around 2009, NICIL reportedly sold it to Ahmad for $80M or about $4.7M per acre.
According to the company's website, Leonora Projects is planning to construct 87 homes on the site.
Company officials said, yesterday, that a house lot is now being sold for at least $7M. This means that the $80 million plot of land is now worth more than $600M.ed ahamad housing scheme
The company is also building homes for at least $30M each.
In announcing the sale, NICIL and its sister agency, Privatisation Unit, had said that the use of the land was restricted to value-added wood processing operations.
The sale of the land was made to one of Ahmad's companies, South American Woods Incorporated, which is also owned by another individual whose name is given as Shareef Ahmad.
According to the website leonoraprojects.com, the initiative is one of the most grand development projects in Guyana. "It is being done with 'you in mind'. Leonora Projects is a vision of Ed Ahmad."
It is the plan to include a full gas and service station, facilities to house two banks and a huge shopping mall.
"Leonora Projects illustrates the envisioning of an entire community, not just homes," the website says.
The Leonora projects are being run from Ahmad's building materials depot at Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
NICIL itself has been embroiled in a number of questionable transactions including its privatization of the Sanata
Complex in Ruimveldt which was sold cheaply to Queens Atlantic, headed by former President Bharrat Jagdeo's best friend, Dr. Ranjisinghi 'Bobby' Ramroop.
NICIL's point man, Winston Brassington, is at the centre of a number of questionable deals including the Marriott Hotel and financial arrangements of the Berbice River Bridge.
Ahmad was charged by the US Federal authorities for his involvement in a massive real estate fraud scheme.
In October 2012, during a plea deal in a New York court, he was found guilty of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to defraud several lending institutions over a period of 15 years.
Posted by | April 16, 2014, 5:57 pm
NICIL denies knowledge of Ed Ahmad GuySuCo land for house lots
…says agreement provides for shopping mall following wood processing plant
The National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd. (NICIL) has denied any knowledge that the portion of Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) land sold to New York-based Guyanese Edul Ahmad is being converted into house lots.
Edul Ahmad a close affiliate of former Bharrat Jagdeo.
The foreign-based businessman, who is said to be a close affiliate of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, bought over 16-acres of prime land from the local sugar company. According to the Agreement of Sale, his company, South American Wood Inc. is supposed to construct a wood processing facility, which is supposed to create numerous jobs for locals.
However, it has been reported that Ahmad stands to make profits of over $600M when he converts the property for which he paid a mere $80M, to a housing scheme, inclusive of a shopping mall, full gas and service station and facilities to house two banks.
NICIL in a press release, yesterday, claims that it acted as an agent when the transaction was done between Ahmad and GuySuCo and according to the agreement, the land at Plantation Groenveldt on the West Coast of Demerara could be converted to a shopping mall once the wood processing plant is the first structure on the property.
NICIL said that GuySuCo entered into a Restrictive Covenant as set out in the terms and conditions of the sale, published in the Vesting Order, effecting the transfer of title, that "the property shall not be used for any other purpose other than for the construction and operation of a wood processing facility with the option of future development in manufacturing, industrial and commercial activities including the construction and operation of a shopping mall, providing that the construction of the wood processing facility is commenced first" and that construction of the wood processing facility commences within one year of the agreement.
NICIL has defended the selling price; that GuySuCo's land was subjected to two prior bids when in 2003, the highest valid bid amounted to $30M and in 2004, no bids were received for the property. This, the privatization agency said, caused the land to be sold, "at a price comparable with valuations established for GuySuCo land on the East Coast Demerara at $5M per acre."
While NICIL claims ignorance of the matter, it says that neither the government nor GuySuCo, "has any knowledge of any change of the agreement," which was entered into with Ahmad's wood processing company.
The opposition is however, bent on asking hard questions relating to this transaction and is also demanding that the entire transaction be reviewed. The opposition is convinced that all may not be as it seems since state property sold to create jobs and then being converted to a housing scheme means that the owner is profiteering.
Winston Brassington
The GuySuCo property was sold to Ahmad in 2008 and reports are that the project, Leonora Mall and Hollywood Garden, is being managed by Leonora Projects which is owned by one Shareef and Ahmad. NICIL, a state-privatisation arm of the government, is however no stranger to criticism; ending up in the spotlight for what many have referred to as being involved in "tainted" transactions where state resources were sold or privatized under the tenure of Winston Brassington.
Most notable is the sale of the Sanata Complex for "a next to nothing" price to best friend of Bharrat Jagdeo, Dr. Ranjisingh 'Bobby' Ramroop.
Ahmad is also no stranger to negative publicity. He was charged by US Federal authorities for his involvement in a massive fraud scheme and in 2012, he entered a plea deal with US agents, and was found guilty of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to defraud several lending institutes over a 15-year period.
Posted by | April 17, 2014, 1:29 pm
Commentary: Smoke and mirrors: A closer look at Guyana's looming debt crisis
Published on April 14, 2014
By Avinash Pulchan, MFM, FQF
Avinash Pulchan was born in Georgetown, raised in Corentyne, Berbice and attended President's College. He has a Masters in Financial Mathematics, Fundamentals in Quantitative Finance, and Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Minnesota. He is now preparing to pursue a PhD in Economics.
According to World Bank data, Guyana's external debt has risen over 117%, US$850,393,000 in 2008 to US$1,845,561,000 in 2012. During that same time period gross national income per capita (purchasing power parity) has increased only 25% from US$2,720 to US$3,400. Furthermore, personal remittances have increased a whopping 34% from US$278,436,000 to US$373,096,197 during the last four years.
A common problem that lesser developed countries (LDCs) face, which Guyana falls into, is that of too much dependence on foreign nations and foreign entities. Guyana's debt to GDP ratio increased from 44% (US$850,393,000/US$1,922,597,807) to 64.7% (US$1,845,561,000/US$2,850,572,407). A country's debt-to-GDP ratio compares what a country owes to what it produces and is an indicator of the country's ability to pay back its debt. Currently Guyana's debt-to-GDP ratio of 64.7% is very unhealthy.
Now some people are going to argue that other more developed nations have higher ratios but they must take into consideration that these countries are industrialized nations, where a large part of their debt is carried by their citizens and not foreign entities. Secondly, these nations are economies unto themselves and global macroeconomic stress is mitigated through their diverse economic systems.
Guyana's external debt leaves it at the mercy of its debtors and it definitely doesn't have a diverse economy; Guyana has shifted to an ill-advised import-based economy, which I will discuss in a moment.
In light of Guyana's indebtedness it would be a travesty to Guyanese of epic proportions to raise the debt ceiling. Foremost is the fact that, despite the much hyped years of economic growth as measured by GDP, Guyana is still running a budget deficit, meaning the Guyanese government is spending more money than it generates in revenues. As of 2012, the budget deficit is -5.9% of GDP.
Guyanese citizens need to realize that the country's debt is their debt. They need to ask the government how they plan on repaying the debt; what percent of GDP will be used towards debt repayment? What are the interest rates on loans? Are these rates fixed, variable, capped? Are the loans hedged to the US dollar or Guyanese dollar? How will the government combat inflation in face of a growing external debt?
The opposition should also critically analyze the balance of payments account for Guyana and see why is there a budget deficit? They should do a trend analysis on the balance of payments account to see if there are common factors affecting the current account, capital account, and cash reserve account over the past years. This would lead to better allocations of funds over the long term and curtailment of inefficient macroeconomic policies.
Guyanese should keep in mind that Guyana's debt has increased 117% (US$995,168,000 = US$1,845,561,000 – US$850,393,000) over the last four years and what has this increase translated to for the development of Guyana?
If the national debt ceiling is increased to allow the Amaila Hydro Power development initiative, how long will it take for the benefits to reach all Guyanese people? Has an independent-neutral party done a cost-benefit analysis on the feasibility of this undertaking? If differences arise from various feasibility studies of this project can they be reconciled? What are the terms of the financing of such a project? What are the positive/negative externalities of the Amaila Project? Will it create jobs for Guyanese? What are the environmental impacts?
Much has been harped on about the economic progress Guyana has made in recent years such as "Guyana on course to record eight consecutive years of positive economic growth: New ECLAC report says Guyana expected to surpass CARICOM partners in economic growth this year" as reported in the Chronicle.
Retired professor at New York University and author of the foremost textbook on Economic Development, Michael Todaro noted, "Economic development cannot be measured solely in terms of the level and growth of overall income or income per capita; one must also look at how that income is distributed among the population – at who benefits from employment and why."
GDP growth rate is not a true reflection of the economic health of a nation. That is why the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) developed the Human Development Index (HDI), which is used as a holistic measure of living levels. Upon examining the components of GDP and the HDI, one can then decide whether a country is achieving sustainable economic growth.
Gross domestic product (GDP) is calculated as the sum of consumption (C), investment (I), government purchases (G), and net exports (NX), which is exports minus imports. I will focus on all C, I, and NX but only briefly on G because it will require an article unto itself.
Guyana's GDP growth (annual %) has increased from 2.0% in 2008 to 4.8% in 2012, GDP (current US$) increased from US$1,922,597,807 to US$2,850,572,407, a 48.2% increase. During this same time period its GDP per capita (measured in current US$) increased from US$2,478 to $3,584, a 44.6% increase.
Personal remittances (measured in current US$) increased from US$278,436,000 to US$373,096,197, a 34% increase. Now an observer will say those numbers are great, but if he/she delves deeper, the numbers tell a sad tale. Personal remittances as a percentage of GDP were 13.09% in 2012. What happens to personal remittances? Well, these remittances are pumped into in economy via consumption (C) and investment (I) and these artificially inflate GDP growth rate. Thus the government of Guyana should not take too much credit for the GDP growth rate since some of it is due to remittances.
Many studies, including a study on the impact of remittances on poverty in developing countries conducted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Economic Development in 2011, corroborate this claim.
An alarming statistic is that of the Guyana's general government final consumption expenditure (as a % of GDP), which is the G component in the calculation of GDP. Per data from the World Bank, Guyana's general government final consumption expenditure (as a % of GDP) stayed at 15% from 2008 to the present but during this same time Guyana's debt increased 117%, from 44% of GDP to 64.7% of GDP.
Where is all of Guyana's debt going? It is definitely not used to finance government purchases because that has remained at a constant 15% for the last five years.
Finally, the examination of the net export (NX) component of GDP tells an ominous tale of what developmental economists term "growth without development". Guyana is running a trade deficit, that is, imports exceed exports. In 2011 Guyana exported US$1.18 billion compared to imports of US$1.46 billion (deficit of US$0.28 billion) and in 2012 the deficit increased to US$0.75 billion (exports US$1.311 billion minus imports US$2.065 billion).
In order for less developed countries such as Guyana to sustainably develop and wean dependence on foreign economic entities, they need to foster growth in a local subsistence economy that will actively engage citizens so that they can shoulder some of the development responsibilities. However, the Guyanese government has increasingly increased imports at a higher rate than exports. Thus, more goods and services are being imported to Guyana that can actually be produced locally at a comparative advantage. This type of policy leads to an abhorrent unemployment rate of 21% over the last four years and expounding this statistic will lead to a positive correlation between the increase in crimes and other social problems.
For those detractors of my points above, please let me use a couple of statistics so that irrational arguments and overgeneralizations do not come into play. Ethiopia and Niger experienced GDP growth (annual %) of 8.5% and 11.2% respectively in 2012 while the United States and Germany experienced 2.2% and 0.7% respectively.
Now you don't see people migrating from the United States and Germany to Ethiopia and Niger to live because the African nations have such high GDP growth rates; the world GDP growth rate was 4.9% in 2010 and 3.7% in 2011 so the world on average has experienced economic growth.
My point is that Guyana's 4.8% GDP growth rate is misleading and it hides the social and macroeconomic problems plaguing the country.
The government is not implementing development initiatives that will foster a robust local economy that will complement the increase in foreign investments. Their focus on large infrastructure development will not create jobs in the long run or short run because the labour force in Guyana is not being equipped with the tools needed to maximize the potential benefits of these infrastructures.
The opposition should ask the government how many engineers and skilled technicians will be needed to run the Amaila Hydro Power Facility; how many Guyanese possess these skills? Are there training programs, study abroad programs to educate Guyanese in these areas? For instance educating a couple of miners on operating new mining equipment is different than educating them on how to fix the equipment in the case of a breakdown.
The government needs to focus on local development strategies to promote sustainable economic growth and well-being locally. They should use information from all the different case studies by development economists that point out the pitfalls of LDCs and how to avoid them.
The Guyanese government should look at the work of Nobel Laureate and economist Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, who pioneered microcredit lending, and the Grameen Bank, which did wonders for that country, and something along those lines will be instrumental for economic progress in Guyana. Now there is a big difference with naming an institution microcredit and having it perform the duties of a microcredit institution. The reason I point that out is because I've already investigated microcredit lending in Guyana and it is very different from what microcredit lending needs to be.
Therefore in order for Guyanese to achieve what Mahatma Gandhi called "the realization of the human potential", they must demand changes to inefficient policies of trade, micro and macroeconomics, fiscal and monetary that foster "underdevelopment" in Guyana.
The Land of Many Waters currently has a budget deficit, trade deficit, a malfunctioning, barely existent local economy, unemployment in excess of 21.00% and a GDP growth rate that is misleading due to the impact of remittances.
The following analogy sums up the pervading mindset of the Guyanese government: what is the use of an economics textbook to an illiterate person? Sure that textbook can be purchased for US$100 but is it worth US$100 to an illiterate person? Definitely not. It could be worth that of toilet paper or fuel for a stove.
The point is why build a bridge over a river, expand an airport, harness a waterfall, when at this moment Guyanese people don't need them? The enormous amount of funds used for these projects can be used to improve the lives of Guyanese by creating a sustainable local economy that will generate earnings for Guyanese and tax earnings for the government in both the short and long-run?
The government in Guyana needs to stop copying what they see happening in industrialized nations because Guyana is still a developing economy that has different initial conditions of modern economic growth than those experienced by already developed nations. Guyana is unique in its physical and human capital and resources, population size, distribution, and growth rate, etc. Therefore, responsible fiscal, monetary, and macroeconomic policies need to be tailored and implemented for the economic condition of Guyana.
Guyanese who visit Guyana always say that Guyana has changed for the better, everybody has a car now, there are dishwashers and microwaves, and even cane cutters have cell phones. Well, is it really development? I want these same people to Google search cell phones in Africa, or televisions in the Philippines and they will see that people in those places have technology too. In an increasingly global economy, technology transcends borders and Guyanese would've experienced these technological innovations regardless of which political party is in power.
The Guyanese people need to know that they will have to shoulder the burgeoning debt of Guyana and should always examine and scrutinize any government projects that require more national debt because a continuous budget deficit, trade deficit, barely existent local economy, an unskilled labour force, high unemployment rate resulting in social ills, etc. are all ingredients of a concoction that will result in a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle of "growth without development" in Guyana where those in power will continue to enjoy a decadent lifestyle while the common Guyanese will continue to languish in mediocrity without achieving their full potential.
Posted by | April 16, 2014, 7:44 am
Dem boys seh…Brazzy playing stupid again
Every time a big one dead under suspicious circumstances people does always run to see if he got insurance. When dem bad men did kidnap that big businessman and then dem cut off he head, people find out that just a few months earlier, he tek out a big insurance.
Some people start fuh think bout people killing de man fuh de insurance money.
De other day some people kidnap another big businessman. Of course, de police find de businessman dead. Now dem boys checking fuh see if he had a big insurance policy. Dem want to see if is people close to he responsible because once people got big insurance is like people can't wait to claim.
Dem see how Brazzy close to Hand in Hand Insurance. He buy shares fuh he buddy. Dem boys want to know if he tek out insurance fuh he buddy and fuh heself.
A smart man like he would hide de policy. In fact, dem boys seh that he does walk wid it in he briefcase every day because he don't want he family see how much he insure heself for.
Dem boys seh that he might got to surrender that same policy fuh pay Ed Ah Mad. De GuySuco land wha Ah Mad get fuh next to nutten at Leonora was to build a wood processing factory. But Ed Ah Mad hold on pun de land fuh a while then decide that he gun sell it out as house lots and mek big big profit. Dem Boys hear through the grape vine that this was arranged with the rat and the fat crook Brazzy.
Now the story buss out he now claiming that he ain't know bout no housing scheme. But dem boys know different. He done collect already and he know that he can't tek back de land.
He claim that he didn't know bout de Sanata complex although he sell it fuh next to nutten. That is how some people begin to get real money. Two of dem draw down from Ed Ah Mad even before de land sell. De same two done know bout de plan to sell de land fuh house lots and fuh mek a big profit.
Hap New done announce that somebody got to explain. But dem boys know that crooks don't explain nutten. Brazzy still to explain who putting money in de Marriott and although dem boys know he keeping he mouth and he hole shut.
He trying de same thing wid Ed Ah Mad land—pretend that he ain't know and then keep he mouth shut.
Talk half and watch how Brazzy and Donald aint gon do nutten bout dis.
Posted by | April 17, 2014, 1:34 pm
This provided URL below, proves jag_De_Ho,_the_the_LYING_THIEVING_Rat. Close affiliate of the SELF CONFESSED CRIMINAL CONVICT, Edul Ahmad. To sell land for a huge profit, converted from it's original contracted purposes. Assisted by Winston Brassington and the rest of the CORRUPT_ppp_CRIMINAL_SYNDICATE, BAREFACED THIEVES AND LIARS.
Posted by | April 17, 2014, 9:43 pm
This COLLUSION with jag_De_Ho,_the_the_LYING_ THIEVING_Rat and his 'friends'. To make HUGE-WINDFALL_PROFITS by SWINDLING & RAPING the National Treasury, Consolidated Fund, Tax_Payers Revenues.
Are most similar to his "bestest_closest_friend & lova_babby". Where he sold the "Santa_Complex" for 'next to nothing' and having him monopolize the Prescription Drugs Contracts. Then selling those same drugs back to the ppp_Government at 1000% mark up profits.
The other one, was his "friend_buddy". 'Loaning' 'buddy' money from the National Treasury to build the 'buddy' Hotel & Casino. Now renamed Princess Hotel & Casino . Then sold it for over a $1 million USD profit, just a year later. While the 'loan' repayment was reimburse as "room_rentals", for the ppp_government's functions, parties and such like.
Same as the Amaila Falls Hydro Electro project. Where they gave Makeshwar 'Fip' Motilall, US$15.4M for the construction of the Amaila Falls Access Road. He never completed it but get to keep that US$15.4M. This man never build even a driveway anywhere in the world in his life.
Same as the Marriott Hotel. The Cheddie Jagan Airport Expansion. Where only Chinese workers would be employed and Guyanese PROHIBITED from working. Those two MEGA_DOLLAR_KICK_BACK_DEALS especially, were made in SECRET with the Chinese in another country. We only got to know of it, when it was broadcast in foreign media. All those projects would be funded with the National Treasury, Consolidated Fund, Tax_Payers Revenues.
The Specialty Hospital, the same situation. MEGA_DOLLAR_KICK_BACK_DEALS, made in SECRET. With Indian Companies for quid_pro_quo as an incentive. jag_De_Ho,_the_the_LYING_ THIEVING_Rat was given "honorary_doctorate_degrees". At the same, those Indian Company gets several thousand acres of virgin Guyana forest, FREE OF COST, to chop down for HUGE PROFIT.
THESE MEGA_DOLLAR_KICK_BACK_DEALS. ARE JUST THE 'TIP OF THE ICEBERG', SO TO SPEAK. OF THE CROOK, jag_De_Ho,_the_the_LYING_ THIEVING_Rat and his 'friends'. To make HUGE-WINDFALL_PROFITS by SWINDLING & RAPING the National Treasury, Consolidated Fund, Tax_Payers Revenues.
Posted by | April 18, 2014, 12:50 pm
This person is a "ppp_card_carry_member". Even he's SPEAKING OUT. At LEAST SOME OF THEM GOT SOME SHAME LEFT. He's got the following to say about HIS_CORRUPT ppp_government …
From the Diaspora…Stop this Amalia Falls hydro project now
AUGUST 11, 2013 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS By Ralph Seeram
A few years ago the U.S. Government implemented a law forcing banks to disclose to borrowers the true cost of loans they are taking out. It is called The Truth in Lending Act. Banks and mortgage brokers hated this because the borrowers would realize in most cases they will be repaying twice the amount borrowed.
I did some work as a closing agent for banks, and I can tell you that 90% of the time the mortgage broker never attend the signing of the loan documents. They were embarrassed when I would have to disclose to the borrower how much money that has to be repaid. For instance if you borrow $100,000 for 20 years at 8.5% interest you end up paying $164,000 in interest plus the $100,000 making it a total of $264,000 that you repay. It was the bank's little secret.
I mention the above because I was reading various reports on the Amaila Falls Hydro Electro project, and it is my firm belief that this project should come to a "dead halt" NOW. There are quite a few things not right about this project. To be honest there is something "fishy"; this contract has the stench of a fish market and the opposition needs to take a strong stand and bring this project to a halt.
Not only is it too much money, but the way I see it, Guyanese in the near future will be saddled with a serious debt problem, the likes of which can bankrupt the country. This project is too big to continue with so many unanswered questions.
One of the main benefits of the PPP losing its majority in Parliament is that most of those secret backdoor contracts are now "seeing the light". Had the PPP won Parliament it would have rammed these contracts "down the throat of Guyanese taxpayers". Thank God the opposition can to an extent bring a halt to this.
Let me state that I am no economist, but I know a thing or two about mortgages and amortization of loans. I even had a mortgage broker licence at one time.
So let's look at the financing of the Amaila Falls project, and I am assuming the loans are being amortized. My understanding is the Government is borrowing US$500M. I don't care about the technicalities and accounting trickery, it is the Amaila Falls Hydro Inc. borrowing and GPL paying that I am concerned about. At the end of the day it is the Guyana Government that is going to GUARANTEE the payment no matter "how you twist and turn it"
So they are borrowing US$500 million at the outrageous interest rate of 8.5% amortized over 20 years. Do you know how much is the interest to be repaid over 20 years? It's over US$541 million plus repaying the principal or US$500 million so the repayment will be over a BILLION dollars. By the 15th year, GPL would have repaid the US$500M in interest and still owe US$200M.
In today's financial markets 8.5% is really at the high end. Kaieteur News has already showed where loans for similar projects were made at less than half of the 8.5%, some made by the very China Exim Bank.
The bleeding of the GPL doesn't stop there. There are the investment returns for Sithe Global. Reports say Sithe Global is going to get a whopping 19% return on its investment of US$157M. Do you know that Sithe Global is going to get its US$157M in less than six years, and if it has to be paid for 20 years, it will have a return of US$453M in interest on its investment of US$157M. Put another way, it will receive a total of over US$600M.
Now tell me who are the idiots that agree to this type of financing? Maybe they are not idiots; maybe the "goody bag" was passed around and everybody got a "piece of the action", a piece of the pie.
Brian Kubeck of Sithe Global really thinks Guyanese are "jackasses" to tell them that the company needs 19% return because it is taking the risks. GPL and the Guyanese taxpayers and electricity consumers are at risk here. They have to repay the loan. Besides, insurers take care of risks.
Another thing that puzzles me is how come Guyanese have to pay the bulk of the loan and Sithe Global has a 60% share? Why create a middle company, why not the Guyana government or GPL taken the loan directly, making them the majority shareholder, maybe Christopher and Anand can explain this.
Here is the deal; nobody is against hydroelectricity, even critics of the government. What everyone wants is to ensure Guyanese get the best deal possible. This present contract seems to point in the opposite way. It has been pointed out in this newspaper that the cost per megawatt is twice the average cost.
The way I see it that overpriced projected cost of US$858 M is going to balloon to twice as much, to over US$1.6 BILLION, and I have not even included associated costs that go with loans like lenders fees and insurance costs. If people think electricity rates will go down, they will have a surprise. GPL will have to fork out nearly US$7M a month to service those loans, not counting other overhead costs.
It may have missed me, but I have not seen any analysis on projected revenues to cover GPL expenses, service the loans and provide cheap electricity.
Another smelly aspect of this contract is the supply of labour and materials. Any person with "commonsense" will tell you those bullet points on the subject are vague and are escape clauses rather than enforcement with penalty.
For instance "use reasonable efforts to use materials produced in Guyana etc." should have been written, SHALL use materials produced etc. etc; same for hiring Guyanese workers, instead of "use reasonable efforts to hire individuals who are Guyanese etc. etc., it should read 'SHALL hire individuals who are Guyanese etc. etc. and the list goes on. The nonsense that happened at the Marriott Hotel must not be repeated either at the new Timehri Airport or the Amaila Falls project.
If the government fails to protect the rights of Guyanese workers I can foresee serious industrial actions from Guyanese workers. I have not even gotten into if those Chinese foreign workers will pay tax and NIS.
By the way, anybody out there knows if those Chinese workers at the Marriott are paying their NIS and P.A.Y.E. contributions? Just asking. Can someone in Government tell the Guyanese taxpayers?
This Amaila Falls project is a national project; the success or failure would affect Guyanese if it transcends the PPP, APNU or AFC. It is time for the PPP government to realize that this contract as it stands is not in the best interest of Guyanese. It is time to reexamine the contract and financing, it is time for the PPP government to realize that at this stage it is not about showing the opposition the contract at this late stage, it's about getting consensus from all the various experts, be it Anand Goolsarran, Christopher Ram, Clive Thomas, Janette Bulkan, ( I know the PPP sees them as critics but they still have a contribution to make) various stakeholders and international experts, to satisfy the taxpayers that they will value for their hard earned money.
It is time for a truly independent body to review the entire project. If the PPP goes ahead with this project as it is I can foresee serious legal actions to stop the project, the opposition parties would be justified in taking such actions on behalf of the Guyanese taxpayers.
Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Posted by | April 18, 2014, 12:51 pm
This from another "ppp_card_carry_member", Mr. Ralph Ramkarran.. Not just an ordinary ppp_member but an EXECUTIVE_CENTRAL COMMITTEE_ppp_MEMBER. From where "the_gang_of_eight_dominates. Whom wants THE CROOK, jag_De_Ho,_the_the_LYING_THIEVING_Rat, for president for a third term.
This is what he has to say …
THE KLEPTOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF GUYANA Posted on June 23, 2013 by Ralph Ramkarran
Since the last elections several revelations have emerged of corrupt, and even potentially criminal, activities by persons currently or previously associated with the PPP and who have friends in the leadership or access thereto. Corruption has become so pervasive that it is no longer possible to keep the evidence away from the Press and the Police. And most important, none of them have come to light as a result of any action initiated by the Government without prior exposure. It is now clear that the adamancy of the Government and the PPP in refusing to acknowledge the level of corruption in the society, and to do something about it, is linked to where the corruption is located. It is not known whether Government spokespersons are still so blind about corruption that they are still asking, where is the evidence? Guyana will soon qualify as The Kleptocratic Republic of Guyana.
An important clarification needs to be made. There are thousands of public servants, businessmen, contractors and others who perform services of a high quality with dedication and integrity. In any discussion on the issue of corruption they must always be acknowledged.
When the PPP came to office in 1992 Cheddi Jagan perceptively suggested the creation of Community Development Committees (CDC). Party Groups and District Committees were given the task of establishing these but they were to comprise members of the community and their initial functions involved the monitoring of contracts as an exercise in popular democracy. They were to be given copies of contracts so that the works could be measured and approved and not left to engineers alone. A Government agency was established to assist the establishment of these CDCs and to ensure that they function. After 1997 the State's interest in the CDCs began to wane and eventually withered.
Even though the intention was not clearly articulated at the time, the CDCs would have assisted in the transformation of the functioning of Party Groups and Bodies whose roles had to be reassessed in view of the collapse of socialism and the attainment of office by the Party. At the same time Cheddi Jagan must have understood the great danger of the emergence of corruption which he had been fighting vehemently during the PNC years. At the same time, the focus of Party Groups needed to be shifted to development and service issues so as to keep their activities relevant to the new situation. All of that has now collapsed in the scramble which was allowed to develop for jobs, gun licences, house lots and contracts.
It is not known what percentage of roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure works are badly done. The complaints are plentiful. And it is not merely that the contractors are dishonest. They tell you openly that if they have to bribe so many officials, then there is not enough to spend on the works to complete them in accordance with the contracts and to make a profit for themselves at the same time. Of course, they willingly collaborate with this state of affairs. This situation is a direct result of the failure of the PPP build on the work of Cheddi Jagan and to deal with corruption. Many of these contractors, businessmen and suppliers of goods and services have close links with the PPP, including members of the leadership.
The other group consists of bureaucrats. Lest some of these protest that they are being unfairly maligned, the range of bureaucrats is not listed here. Many bureaucrats are dedicated and honest. But many others are corrupt. These bureaucrats are usually in charge of funds, contracts, supplies and they easily maneouvre around the regulations to enable them to perpetrate their corrupt deeds. They utilize their positions to manipulate contracts so that the rewards go to them directly or through surrogates. They establish companies with their friends or relatives and steer the contracts to these companies. This is a well known practice that is widely engaged in. They also have friends in the Party leadership or access thereto.
Above all of these is a group of wealthy and influential businessmen who have high political connections. They meet regularly to examine business opportunities and potential deals and map out strategies as to how their plans can go forward, and implement those plans. They have access, through their political connections, to information of the potential opportunities that are likely to emerge in the near to medium term and are in a position to make the investments now so as to cash in on those opportunities down the road.
The PPP leadership is supported and financed by all of these groups and state decisions are influenced by their interests. The PPP is no longer motivated by working class ideology although it still clings to its historical connections. The reason why the Public Procurement Commission, a vital instrument in the struggle against corruption, will never be established is that the PPP is a political organization that now represents a section of the petit bourgeoisie, those three parts of which are described above, whose interests are antagonistic to those of the working class and conflict with acceptable standards of integrity.
Posted by | April 18, 2014, 12:52 pm
Ed Ahmad land deal…Investigate all state assets sold by NICIL under Jagdeo's presidency – AFC
"No one doubts that in the Bharrat Jagdeo terms, the patrimony of our state has been hived off to friends and cronies in an unparalleled frenzy of nepotism and favoritism."
A Parliamentary Opposition party is urging Government to swiftly convene a Commission of Inquiry (COI) by natural resources experts to investigate the distribution of state lands, spectrum use and frequency access, and lease of forestry/mineral concessions in Guyana under successive post-Jagan regimes.
Edul Ahmad
Edul Ahmad
This is according to Vice Chairman of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Moses Nagamootoo, who in a brief interview with this publication made the call and said that an investigation must firstly produce an inventory of state assets transferred to National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) along with the proceeds received from their sale.
When President Donald Ramotar came to office in 2011 he promised full disclosure on the deals but the document which was prepared by NICIL's Executive Director, Winston Brassington, had been criticized by many experts as designed to disguise the transactions made by NICIL.
According to Nagamootoo, "No one doubts that in the Bharrat Jagdeo terms, the patrimony of our state has been hived off to friends and cronies in an unparalleled frenzy of nepotism and favoritism."
Nagamootoo said that NICIL cannot easily wash its hands of these deals and the Leonora scheme is just one questionable transaction.
The Leonora deal referenced by Nagamootoo, involves land purchased by Jagdeo's close associate who has been indicted in the US over financial crimes.
Edul Ahmad, the foreign-based businessman bought over 16 acres of prime land from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) through NICIL.
It is reported that Ahmad now stands to make profits of over $600M when he converts the property for which he paid a mere $80M, to a housing scheme, inclusive of a shopping mall, full gas and service station and facilities to house two banks.
According to Nagamootoo, "Sugar workers have not been allowed to indicate an interest to either buy the lands on which the sweat and blood of their parents have been buried with their bones, or to cultivate through peasant cane farming cooperatives."
Nagamootoo insists that Government must produce a comprehensive land use policy after wide consultation, so that lands allocated for industrial development are not converted into exclusive housing schemes in ad hoc deals.
Bharrat Jagdeo
"We need a working democracy not an opportunistic ad hocracy…I feel that the hammer ought not fall on the head of Ed Ahmad but on NICIL and GuySuCo for yet another sell out scandal."
Following reportage on the questionable land deal with Ed Ahmad, NICIL denied any knowledge that the portion of the land sold to New York-based Guyanese Edul Ahmad is being converted into house lots.
NICIL claims that it only acted as an agent when the transaction was done between Ahmad and GuySuCo and according to the agreement, the land at Plantation Groenveldt on the West Coast of Demerara could be converted to a shopping mall once the wood processing plant is the first structure on the property.
NICIL said that GuySuCo entered into a Restrictive Covenant as set out in the terms and conditions of the sale, published in the Vesting Order, effecting the transfer of title, that "the property shall not be used for any other purpose other than for the construction and operation of a wood processing facility with the option of future development in manufacturing, industrial and commercial activities including the construction and operation of a shopping mall, providing that the construction of the wood processing facility is commenced first" and that construction of the wood processing facility commences within one year of the agreement.
NICIL also defended the selling price that GuySuCo's land was subjected to two prior bids when in 2003, the highest valid bid amounted to $30M and in 2004, no bids were received for the property.
NICIL and Brassington, over the years under the Bharrat Jagdeo tenure, has come in for intense criticism and calls for investigation over some of the deals it has made.
On such gained widespread notoriety that was called the "deal that stinks to high heavens," is that involving Jagdeo's best friend Dr. Ranjisinghi 'Bobby' Ramroop when NICIL sold his company Queens Atlantic Investment Inc (QAII), the Sanata Complex.
Brassington, Jagdeo and Dr. Ramroop had also come under intense scrutiny over the sale of the Guyana Pharmaceutical Company along with the Government's subsequent drug purchasing policy after the deal.
Moses Nagamootoo
Ahmad is also no stranger to negative publicity. He was charged by US Federal authorities for his involvement in a massive fraud scheme and in 2012, he entered a plea deal with US agents, and was found guilty of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to defraud several lending institutions over a 15-year period.
Posted by | April 20, 2014, 8:04 am
Mr. Ramotar is the twin of Bharrat Jagdeo
I have been immersed in political activism, human rights crusades and public intellectualism since a teenager. From then to now I have no regrets, though I would have preferred not to have gone through all the bad things that have happened to me since my teen days right up to the present. I mean who enjoys being victimized and physical attacks on their person?
But I have been lucky and I mean damn lucky. I never had a public sector job which allowed any past president and the present one to give me orders. Imagine if I were a police officer and had to endure the nonsense and hypocrisy of a President Jagdeo or President Ramotar speaking to me face to face. You have to feel profound sympathy for the people that Jagdeo commanded and that Ramotar now controls.
You just have to feel sorry for police, soldiers, public servants and other categories of employees that the President has direct legal authority over. You just had to feel for these people under Mr. Jagdeo. How did they cope, when someone as poor in quality and substance as Jagdeo gave them orders?
Mr. Jagdeo returned from New York and met protest action by air traffic controllers. To their face, Mr. Jagdeo told them that if they had picketed him at the airport when he came out, he would have dismissed them. Mr. Jagdeo once addressed a general meeting of the staff of the Environmental Protection Agency and spoke down to the seniors in front of their subordinates. It was a plain case of humiliation.
Mr. Jagdeo summoned engineer Joseph O'Lall and dressed him down in front of others. When PM Hinds rose to speak, he was told to sit. That meeting ended in O'Lall's dismissal from the Energy Authority. I knew O'Lall from my student days at UG and it was crazy to think that such an educated man could end up being shouted down by Jagdeo.
There is bound to be deep anguish and raging anger in educated men and women who served their county dedicatedly and find themselves in front of a country's leader who lacked all the qualities of leadership and intellectual finesse. And they have to listen to his inanities, vapidities, banalities, stupidities.
When that happens you just have to feel sympathy for these people.
When I look back at Jagdeo's hegemony, I thank my stars that life did not put me in the position of these public sector employees. Of course during Mr. Jagdeo's reign, I was a public sector employee at UG. But let me end with Mr. Jagdeo at this point before readers accuse me of showing off and silly chauvinism.
Not for a fleeting moment would President Jagdeo have entertained the thought of summoning UG lecturers to meet him and I was required to go.
Anyway, let's go to President Donald Ramotar or as this newspaper's satirical piece 'Dem Boys Seh' refers to him, 'De Donald.' 'De Donald' told the police force conference that an integrity test will be introduced. Read that to mean, lie detector test. Ramotar is following in the hypocritical footsteps of his benefactor, Bharrat Jagdeo. Put yourself in those officers' place. It was the circus of Bharrat Jagdeo that they had to watch. Last week there was a reenactment, only this time, Jagdeo was replaced with Ramotar.
All kinds of public sector employees had to endure the polygraph under the Jagdeo presidency but Jagdeo was not brave, creative and accountable to assign the test to himself and his Cabinet. He couldn't do it because the consequences would have swept him from power. The cowardly tradition is being continued by Ramotar.
Employees of the Energy Authority were forced to take the polygraph recently and many were dismissed.
Ramotar should administer the test to himself, his Cabinet and the Jagdeoite school he inherited from his benefactor. The list includes the big boys at NICIL, Guysuco, NCN, his presidential advisors and Dr. Luncheon among others.
Here is a president that is sitting on an anti-corruption report on NCN and just would not act on it. I point readers to one of the most trenchant dismissals of Ramotar as president by the Stabroek News on this locked away report (see the paper's editorial on the issue).
This same man has the temerity to tell police officers that they must take an integrity test. A Freudian ghost stalks Donald Ramotar. Look the word he chose to use, "integrity," something the PPP leaders never had since the fifties.
I am a lucky man – Jagdeo and Ramotar were never my bosses and could never have been. Pity those that have to take their orders.
Posted by | April 27, 2014, 7:58 am
Dem boys seh… Mosquito ah pick fight wid elephant
Dem boys fed up reminding people that knack always got knack back. When you live by de sword you gun die by it. That is another saying that deh round a lang time. You live like a scamp, you gun die like a scamp.
Everybody in Guyana want to go to America or Britain or Canada. That is what dem does call de ABC countries.
Nobody in de world want mek trouble wid dem, except two-three mad people—North Korea, Iraq, Libya… and now Guyana.
Everybody know wha happen to de leaders of Iraq and Libya. And if dem put hand pun de chubby shaatie from North Korea, people mightn't find ee.
Guyana decide to play powerful. It revoke de visa fuh a Canadian who wukking fuh Uncle Sam. But like everybody didn't know bout de move. When Luncheon mek de announcement, de whole Cabinet get quiet. Right away some Ministers studying fuh done Luncheon dance more fast.
Dem Government people remember when dem couldn't travel to Uncle Sam and that was because de government did talk fat to Uncle Sam. Jagdeo was de man. He tell de Ambassador that Guyana ain't tekking back none of dem deportees.
When de US Embassy seh that no government official could travel to de States, de next day Jagdeo mek Luncheon tell de Americans that we didn't mean wha we seh…Is just that we didn't want dem Americans to pay fuh send de deportees back to Guyana; we did want spend we money fuh bring dem back we self.
Well dem boys think Guyana did learn a lesson. But now it seem like we going back down de same road. Tekking way that man visa got more than backlash. Dem boys seh that is like a monkey pun a tree peeing pun a man wid a AK47 in he hand or a case of a mosquito picking fight wid an elephant.
Pulling de man visa didn't come just so. De Cabinet hear that Obama create a special unit fuh trace de assets and wealth of all dem corrupt leaders and politicians around de world. Somebody whisper that that man, Glenn Bradbury, was not only heading de American project, he was also heading a team that is investigating Jagdeo, Brazzy, Boyah, Bobby and all dem other Bees plus Irfaat, Rob de Earth, Ash Knee and a whole heap of dem.
De Cabinet hear that Donald already give de FBI approval to come to Guyana any time to do anything. A special team that include de Canadian Feds investigating Jagdeo and all who very close to him.
People gun hear de hooray fuh that visa wha dey tek away and fuh de work permit wha dem revoke.
Talk half and wait fuh de backlash.
Posted by | May 1, 2014, 4:45 pm
U.S. FBI creating unit to trace corrupt foreign assets
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. FBI will create a unit to help trace the assets of corrupt foreign leaders, to complement an existing group of prosecutors focused on the issue, Attorney General Eric Holder said yesterday.
The announcement comes as the United States scrambles to respond to unrest in Ukraine, and follows a new round of sanctions the United States announced on Monday over Moscow's involvement in the crisis.
Prosecutors, agents and other U.S. government officials have traveled to Ukraine to help authorities there recover assets allegedly stolen by former president Viktor Yanukovich's government, Holder said in remarks before a London conference on recovering Ukrainian assets.
Around one dozen agents and analysts will be part of the new FBI squad to support such efforts in Ukraine and elsewhere, he said.
Join the discussion…
Peta • a day ago
UUUmmmmm, interesting!!! Some in Guyana better BEWARE!!!
Especially those who suddenly became "nouveau rich' on a 'ministers' government salary or those with 'anchor babies'.
Who live LARGE in prado-ville 1, 2 or 3. Complete with mac-mansions, swimming pools & houses, on acres of land they 'ill-gotten' on the cheap.
Those who have "foreign", 'bank accounts', supermarkets, strip malls, 'real-estate businesses' and such. Those 'jet-setters' who fly-hi on the tax-payers dime.
YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!! … HEED THE WORD, "dem ah wach yuh" …
Complete with 'seal-indictments' for 'extradition' or 'Extraordinary rendition' …
4 • Reply•Share ›
C I Lewis • 11 hours ago
I love this. Tied with some visa revocations. Some folks are silent.
2 • Reply•Share ›
Posted by | May 1, 2014, 4:52 pm
The visa revocation: A mendicant, primitive country insults the USA
It has to be the most comical opera in international relations since Thucydides wrote his fantastic book two thousand years ago on relations among states and titled, "The Peloponnesian Wars."
Any student of world politics would know that Guyana is one of the poorest countries in the world. Any student of politics would know in terms of quality of life, Guyana ranks very low among the sovereign states that sit in the United Nations. Any student of politics would know that in terms of modern infrastructure, Guyana is a very primitive land.
This is a country where in the 21st century, the capital city hasn't got a proper functioning sewage system. This is a country that built a bridge four years ago that is the identical version to one that the Allies constructed in the Second World War as seen in the famous movie, "The Bridge on the River Kwai."
This is a country where once you build a house you have to buy a large black tank imported from Trinidad to store water. Central supply of water does not reach any house throughout Guyana at a height of twenty feet above ground level. This is a country where the only university has virtually collapsed.
This is a country that only one month ago acquired a modern fingerprinting system for the police that the world has been using decades ago, and it was a donation from the American Government. This is a country where the police began using the speed gun only two years ago after the British Embassy donated six of them. This is a country where at the beginning of the year the entire police force had only three breathalyzer machines.
This is a country where magistrates and judges write down every single word that is said by the person in the witness box, an anachronistic practice the world left behind decades and decades ago. This is a country of 800,000 persons where the population conducting business and trade and financial services in the society is one of the smallest in the world, but a cheque by any of the eminent business companies deposited in bank takes four days before the recipient can have the money.
This is a country where a sitting CARICOM Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, in 2010, said that Guyana is an embarrassment to the region because it is an international beggar. Here is where the nudity of Guyana is laid bare. This country never stops begging the Inter-American Development Bank and it starts from the President right down to all his Ministers.
Addressing the UN General Assembly last year, President Jagdeo was indignant that the UN raised the economic status of Guyana, thereby taking it off the list of countries whose poverty rating entitles them to greater UN financial assistance. Knowing that the elevated ranking will result in aid reduction, Mr. Ramotar, in fact, rejected such an improved status. Mr. Ramotar just wants Guyana to keep receiving financial handouts.
The government of this kind of hellhole has become bold enough to revoke the visa of a consultant employed by the American Government who was the administrator of a democracy project. This project is needed in this country to teach its people about the lost value of democratic institutions. How institutions should be democratic, accountable and transparent is something we lost since Cheddi Jagan became Premier in 1957 right up to the present moment. This was the asset of the democracy programme.
The visa cancellation is the irony of all ironies. The US, which helped Ramotar and Luncheon and company to come to power in 1992, is now told it is interfering in Guyana's internal affairs because the US is helping us to understand how public institutions should relate to the citizenry.
When we beg the US for money, when we send our wives to get babies in the US so they can become American citizens, it is alright. But not when the US wants to help to strengthen democracy?
The visa recall by a virtual nonentity in world politics is a nasty insult that the American people should not accept from Guyana. For far too long the US has turned a blind eye to atrocities committed by the PPP Government and a majority of the population cannot understand why, especially in the area of drug trafficking.
Captain David Clarke has named names for the US Government as to who in the corridors of power are involved in drug trafficking. But to date the US has not moved against these people. Will this visa insult be the straw that broke the camel's back? Every Guyanese, in and out, is waiting to see how the US will retaliate against this nonentity.
Posted by | May 2, 2014, 7:53 am
Dem boys seh.. Bobby got it lock
There is an old saying that carrion crow does wait till rain fall fuh build house. Then dem got another one, some people does wait till dem belly gripe dem then hustle to build toilet.
Only fools do things like that. A man wid lil bit brains would mek plans; he would prepare in advance.
Rob de Earth and he Uncle in law, Jagdeo, use to wait till rain fall before dem dig de drains to ease flooding.
Dem boys know that dem never use to clean de drain. As a matter of fact, dem use to do things to block up dem, drain fuh mek de flooding look big suh dem can tek big money but spend li'l money fuh drain.
Since 2005, Rob de Earth and Jagdeo can't account fuh de millions of dollars that come from de treasury and from Canada as flood relief funds.
When Jagdeo tek US$200 million fuh build de new Skeldon sugar factory, dem didn't even got a plan. Dem must be had a floor plan fuh drop de sugar pun de ground. To this day de factory cyan wuk. Bobby gun get it soon fuh open a warehouse.
That is de real plan that Jagdeo had. Is that kind of planning Guyana had since 1999 after Janet give Jagdeo de presidency.
Jagdeo start de Amaila road without a plan. He and that fat crook, Brazzy, ask Fip fuh design a plan fuh de road. Fip rob dem and gone.
When dem boys expose Fip and ask dem fuh explain de hydro plan wha dem had, dem bring Sithe Global. Just how Sithe Global come, dem gone, like Fip. There was no plan.
Marriott still to get a plan; Enmore Packaging Plant never had a plan; de airport fuh bring Africans from Africa never had a plan; Dem ain't got no plan fuh de Specialty Hospital; dem four-lane highway ain't got plan. Dem ain't got plan fuh dem stelling and clearly dem have no plan fuh de city.
In Georgetown, dem bruck up all de road and realize after that Guyana ain't got asphalt fuh fix dem road. Dem just don't plan anything fuh de ordinary man.
But when it come to Bobby, de man who does finance de Pee Pee Pee campaign, dem got plan, blueprint and even newsprint fuh he.
De stage does set fuh he get any and everything he want, because he does got to set dem political stage right.
Talk half and hope Guyana get better planners.
Posted by | May 8, 2014, 2:30 pm
Dem boys seh…Name one good thing Jagdeo do fuh Guyana
Dem boys get a call from a big man saying, "Please lef Jagdeo alone. He do a lot fuh Guyana and he deserve a place in history." Dem boys laugh…hard.
Right away dem boys remember that two months ago, Ah Kneel call too and he seh that every day dem boys talking bout Jagdeo. He seh, "Why y'all don't lef de man alone. He do so much fuh Guyana."
Well dem boys nerve bump raise when dem hear Ah Kneel seh he, Jagdeo, do so much fuh Guyana. De first question to Ah Kneel was fuh he name just one thing that Jagdeo did in de twelve years he sit as president of Guyana, that he and de people could be proud of.
Dem boys had to remind Ah Kneel dem not talking about de friends and family and cronies that he, Jagdeo, enrich. Dem ain't talking about going about de place begging and getting debt write-offs. Anybody can do that.
A junkie does wait till de boss man fuh de Waterfalls paper drive up and he does busy wid he broom. He sweeping de pavement. As soon as de boss man jump out de vehicle he does approach de boss man and seh, "You see how nice and clean this place look? Is me got it suh. You got to give me something."
That is how Jagdeo use to beg dem foreign people and get something. That isn't nutten hard. If a junkie can do that, wha do Jagdeo?
But back to Ah Kneel. When dem boys ask he fuh name one thing that Jagdeo do, he stutter then he pause and seh "Ah can't think now. I deh wid some friends drinking."
To this day, dem boys still waiting fuh he and de caller fuh name de one thing. Dem boys also challenge de entire Guyana, more so all dem Ministers that wuk under Jagdeo, fuh tell de nation one thing that Jagdeo do fuh mek people proud.
Jagdeo free to call or send a letter fuh seh one thing that he proud of. But he must not talk about de Bees and dem scamps and dem crooks that he surround heself wid.
And while he thinking about wha he do, he must also think about de former Prime Minister of Israel who yesterday get sentence to six years in jail fuh corruption.
Jagdeo should thank God he don't live in Israel, but dem boys seh dem would like to try him here fuh corruption.
Talk half and we waiting for de answers from de caller, Ah Kneel, Jagdeo and Donald if he want push ee mouth inside de story.
Posted by | May 14, 2014, 10:46 am
APNU says…Disclose Jagdeo's spending out of Office
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is seeking to find out exactly how much money the State has spent behind former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, since he demitted Office in 2011.
APNU's Desmond Trotman, has formally tabled a list of questions for the Minister of Finance to respond to in relation to the expenditure.
The Finance Minister will be required to deliver the answers when Parliament meets on Thursday.
The political opposition has always been critical over what it calls uncapped benefits encapsulated in the Former Presidents (Benefits and Facilities) which in May 2009, the then President Bharrat Jagdeo assented to.
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo
Trotman wants to find out what is the total health expenses/claims met under the Act for former President Jagdeo and or his dependents for each month since he demitted office in 2011, up to the end of February 2014.
Jagdeo recently made headlines when he chartered a private Lear Jet to fly to Guyana and take him to Florida where he went for treatment over Dengue Fever.
It was later revealed that when former President Jagdeo was airlifted to the United States, destined for a Florida hospital, he had in his entourage his best friend, Dr Ranjisinghi 'Bobby' Ramroop and they used a private luxury Learjet instead of an air ambulance.
An air ambulance are planes or helicopters that have been specially fitted with medical equipment and beds and would also include medical personnel accompanying the aircraft to treat the passenger as they are taken to the hospital.
What Jagdeo used is a fixed wing twin engine, 10 seat jet.
The jet was charted from Jedami Aircraft Charter, LLC, registered in Florida.
This publication understands that the chartering of a LearJet, from Florida to Guyana and back for a medivac, would cost between US$35,000 and US$40,000.
APNU in their probe of the expenditure behind Jagdeo is also seeking to find out what is the monthly cost of providing security for personal and property(s) under the Act for former President Jagdeo since he demitted office in 2011 to the end of February, 2014.
APNU is also seeking to elicit answers in relation to the cost of providing transportation local and overseas, inclusive of cars and drivers, including air cost and road under the Act for the former President and or his dependents for each month since he demitted office in 2011 to the end of February, 2014
The coalition is also seeking to find out what is the electricity charge paid under the Act for former President, Jagdeo, for each month since he demitted office in 2011 up to the end of February 2014.
On May 28, 2009, then President Jagdeo assented to the controversial Former Presidents (Benefits and Facilities) Bill, bringing it into law.
Under that Act, he would receive free medical attention and medical treatment, paid for by the state, or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by him for the medical attention or treatment of himself and the dependant members of his family.
Jagdeo became Guyana's youngest ever President when his predecessor Janet Jagan demitted office in 1999.
During his term in office, Jagdeo initiated many controversial projects, among them the Amaila Falls Hydro-electric Project, the Marriott Hotel project, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Expansion Project, and the failed Skeldon Modernisation Project.
Posted by | May 14, 2014, 11:50 am
Point_of_Interest some may find curious.
This conclusion is on point, "Dictator bhar'RAT".
Since the abbreviation for the title of "Doctor" would be "Dr".
Then the last two words in the word D-ictato-R is, "Dr".
This relates to "bhar'RAT's" multitude of "so-called" "honorary doctorates", (dr, dr, dr, dr, dr) titles, he was able to BUY for cheap.
Other DESERVING folks EARN those titles. UnLIKE "Dictator bhar'RAT" and the feral_blaster_MANIC_MANIC_MANICHAN, WAS ABLE TO Con SOME INTO PURCHASING AT SOME "Diploma Mill".
Just to IMPRESS THEIR SELF_INFLATED_NARCISSISTIC_MEGALOMANIACY. OF THEIR SELF_IMPORTANT EGOTISTICAL DELUSIONS_OF_GRANDEUR.
The "throne", THEY put THEMSELVES on, JUST TO MAINTAIN RELEVANCE IN THEIR WORLD.
AS IF THEY ARE FOOLING ANYONE BUT THEMSELVES, WITH THEIR FACADE, lol …
ESPECIALLY ONLY, THE STUPID CLOWNS IN THE ppp_cabal, WOULD GROVEL TO BELIEVE THIS CON OF LIES.
Posted by | July 12, 2014, 8:11 am
Jagdeo has cost taxpayers in excess of $83M to date under his 'Pension Package'
…Guyanese to fork over an average of $3M a month until his death
Former President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, has received as pension since demitting office in December 2011
to the end of last month, some $31M.
This is in addition to the recently disclosed figures upwards of $45M ($45,417,950) which the taxpayers have had to spend on him for his electricity bills, transportation and security between December 2011 and last February. They were spending $1.7 million per month.
This financial package was cemented in law by Jagdeo himself, when in 2009, he as head of the then Cabinet, caused to be laid in the National Assembly, the former Presidents (Benefits and Facilities) Bill, which he later assented to, bringing it into law.
Under this controversial law which was vehemently opposed at the time, it costs taxpayers an average of $3M each month to support Jagdeo.
His security, electricity and transportation alone, average $1.7M each month. Then there is his $1.2M pension each month.
Using the monthly average of $1.2M for his security, transportation, electricity and pension, it means that Jagdeo to date, since leaving office would have cost taxpayers in excess of $83M ($83,146,535)
This $83M figure does not take into account all of the other expenditure incurred by Jagdeo under his 'Pension Package.'
Apart from what has been disclosed, Jagdeo is also entitled to, under the controversial law he enacted: expenses incurred in the provision and use of water; telephone services at the place of residence in Guyana; services of personal and household staff, including an attendant and a gardener; services of clerical and technical staff, if requested; free medical attendance and medical treatment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by him for the medical attendance or treatment of himself and the dependant members of his family; toll-free road transportation in Guyana; an annual vacation allowance equivalent to the cost of two first class return airfares provided on the same basis as that granted to serving members of the Judiciary; and a tax exemption status identical to that enjoyed by a serving President.
It was Alliance for Change (AFC), Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, who back in 2009 computed that the Former President's pension package would amount to just over $3M monthly, which was vehemently denied by the administration at the time but has turned out to be a reality.
Carl Greenidge of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) had attempted to cap the benefits, under the controversial piece of legislation by bringing amendments to the National Assembly. This was approved by the opposition using its majority but President Donald Ramotar, has never assented to it.
This past week after months of delay, the Finance Minister finally acquiesced to APNU Donald Trotman's request, to provide the National Assembly with answers as to the amount spent by the state on Jagdeo for his electricity bills, health expenses, transportation and security.
The figures provided by Dr. Singh represent the money the State spent on Jagdeo on the three items (transportation, security and electricity bills) from the time he demitted office in December 2011 up to February 2014.
Jagdeo's total electricity bill for the duration stated amounted to $9,875,680. His average monthly bill is $365,766.
For transportation, Jagdeo utilized $15,220,748. The State spent a total of $20,321,520 for Jagdeo's security over the 27-month period, an average of $752,649 monthly.
All security services are done by serving members of the Presidential Guard Service.
The number of vehicles and guards provided to the former President were not provided.
Posted by | July 13, 2014, 8:23 am
If Guyanese do not take action to remove corruption there will be no development
July 12, 2014 · By Staff Writer ·
Dear Editor,
Many believe that corruption – the use of public office for private gain – is a major problem in Guyana. At the same time, most citizens are unhappy with their standard of living and Guyana's level of development. The experts agree that corruption and development are linked; higher levels of corruption result in poverty, unhappiness and hardship for citizens, and underdevelopment for the country.
The crime of bribery is the most well known form of corruption; it hits us directly in the pocket. There are other types of corruption though, one of the worst is called graft.
According to Wikipedia, "Graft, a form of political corruption, is the unscrupulous use of a politician's authority for personal gain." If a person in high office, uses his position to give state contracts to friends and cronies, in exchange for kickbacks – some of the money that the state pays for the project – that is graft. If an official uses her inside knowledge to give an unfair business advantage to a friend, that is also graft. The experts say that the effects of graft can be devastating to a country and its people.
Editor, graft causes suffering owing to substandard works. If a contractor gets a state contract by corrupt means, that contractor is likely to do a poor job. This results in overpriced, but structurally unsound schools, stellings and bridges. And roads may fall apart one month after being built. The effects are potholes, flooding and uncomfortable children in unsafe schools.
Graft results in projects that we don't need, at the expense of those that we do. In other words, real priorities – such as water, electricity, sanitation, health care, schools, roads, etc – are neglected, in favour of unnecessary projects that will generate greater personal gain for officials. So we end up without the essentials. Instead, the landscape becomes littered with white-elephant projects that we do not need or cannot use.
Graft also results in the depletion of national wealth. This happens because scarce public resources are funnelled to private pockets. In many cases, the money for projects is borrowed from international banks, and must be repaid by taxpayers, with interest. So, instead of the money being used to feed the poor or house the homeless, it ends up in private bank accounts or real-estate investments. These investments, whether useless hotels or ocean-front mansions, do not benefit the people.
Guyana's latest score on Transparency Internation-al's Corruption Perception Index (CPI), was a deplorable 27 out of 100 points; the worst score in the English-speaking Cari-bbean. We may therefore conclude that we have a problem. Unsurprisingly, Guyana is currently ranked a low 118th out of 187 countries, on the United Nations Development Index. The correlation between development and corruption is underscored too, when one looks at other countries. Western European countries may be some of the most developed in the world, with some of the happiest citizens. Their average CPI is currently an enviable 66 – the global average is 43. On the other hand, many believe that sub-Saharan African countries are the least developed, with citizens suffering terribly. Unsurprisingly, their average CPI is only 33.
Clearly, corruption sucks the life out of national development and saps the happiness of citizens. If Guyana has such a problem, Guyanese must take action to remove it. Otherwise, there will be no development and happiness will always be an elusive dream.
Yours faithfully,
Mark DaCosta
Posted by | July 13, 2014, 9:56 am
TUC slams Jagdeo over `Cadillac lifestyle'
July 13, 2014 · By Stabroek
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) today said it was unconscionable for former President Bharrat Jagdeo to reward himself with a "Cadillac lifestyle" while ordinary persons struggled to make ends meet.
Its denunciation of the former President was contained in a press release addressing a number of local issues and comes in the aftermath of disclosures in Parliament on how much the state is paying to upkeep Jagdeo.
An answer circulated in Parliament on Thursday revealed that the state has paid $45.4M in expenses for former President Bharrat Jagdeo in the 27 months since he demitted office and this appears to include the cost of a medivac flight to Florida.
In its statement, the GTUC said it is troubled that while the law assures every citizen healthcare there isn't proper universal health care.
"The masses have to pray not to fall sick while government officials use our tax-dollars to access the best healthcare in developed countries. This disparity in access breaches the sense of nationhood/oneness the people have been assured of. The same can be said for the right to pension as government officials, one of whom is former President Jagdeo, continue to run-up exorbitant healthcare expenses, pension and post presidential benefits on the backs of the working poor", the TUC said.
It added that while the taxpayers pay millions for his electricity each year they are being disconnected because they cannot afford to pay $5,000.
"It is unconscionable …that any person entrusted the privilege of the people to manage their affairs to reward themselves with a Cadillac lifestyle in this donkey cart economy. It is an abuse of the taxpayer's money and their trust", the TUC argued.
The payments by the state were made under the controversial Former Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Act for electricity, transportation and security. This works out to around $1.6M per month mainly for Jagdeo's Pradoville Two residence.
Details on Jagdeo's expenses were circulated in Parliament in response to questions which had been submitted several months ago by APNU MP Desmond Moses.
Posted by | July 13, 2014, 5:22 pm
Jagdeo's benefits are mother of immoralities – says anti corruption advocate …but Rohee defends Jagdeo's pension benefits
July 15, 2014 | By KNews | Filed Under News
General Secretary for the People's Progressive Party (PPP) has come out in defence of the exorbitant benefits which former President Bharrat Jagdeo is benefiting from under the Former Presidents (Benefits and Facilities) Act which Jagdeo made law in 2009.
Under this controversial law which was vehemently opposed at the time, it costs taxpayers an average of $3M each month to support Jagdeo.
His security, electricity and transportation alone, average $1.7M each month. Then there is his $1.2M pension each month.
Using the monthly average of $1.2M for his security, transportation, electricity and pension, it means that Jagdeo to date, since leaving office would have cost taxpayers in excess of $83M.
Rohee in defence of the benefits that Jagdeo is accruing said that "aren't all of those things within what the Parliament provide him with, so what is the problem?"
He said that there "will always be objections and there will continue to be objections, like we are seeing everyday in the headlines of the Kaieteur News."
The PPP General Secretary continued, "Kaieteur News is never giving up on Jagdeo, all that I am saying is that whatever spending was done it was not illegal it was authorized by the Parliament, you are free like the Kaieteur News is free and every citizen of Guyana is free to express a view on this money."
Rohee said that one has to be certain and take clearly into account that "the money was not illegitimately spent, not illegally spent and not spent outside of what was provided by the Parliament."
It was Alliance for Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, who back in 2009 computed that the Former President's pension package would amount to just over $3M monthly. This was vehemently denied by the administration at the time.
Carl Greenidge, of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), had attempted to cap the benefits, under the controversial piece of legislation by bringing amendments to the National Assembly. This was approved by the opposition using its majority but President Donald Ramotar, has never assented to it.
Addressing the cap that the opposition approved for the President's benefits, Rohee said that "any cap that is coming from the opposition I would bag it."
Rohee said that he does not agree with the combined opposition's position that the money Jagdeo is receiving is exorbitant.
"I disagree with anything the opposition says in respect of Jagdeo, I disagree because I believe that they are being personally vindictive towards the ex- President; that's my position as the General Secretary of the PPP," said Rohee.
The PPP, according to Rohee, supported the Bill in the Parliament with respect to the benefits of the President's Bill.
"We consciously did that in the Parliament, every single MP supported that, including Mr. Nagamootoo who at the time was sitting on the government benches, so if we did that at that time, that is a manifestation of where the PPP stood clear and simply."
Asked whether that position conflicts with that of founder of the PPP Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Rohee said, "I would leave that for the so called political pundits to speculate on, that I'm not getting into."
Rohee was then asked that in a democratic society the government and the opposition are the people who would generally engage in discussions, bargain and work together or negotiate, but from his position the opposition is inconsequential.
Rohee said that "as far as I am personally concerned, the opposition doesn't want anything to do with me, so why should I have anything to do with them."
He said, however, from the position of General Secretary when it comes to the interest of the party "that's a different question because the party's position rest with the central committee, the congress rests with the executive committee which are collective bodies where all the leaders sit.
"When they make a decision with which I am a part of, well then those decisions would be faithfully followed and implemented."
And an anti corruption advocate is contending that even though the benefits might be legal it is the "height of immorality; it's the mother of all moralities."
His comments came against the backdrop of Guyana's economic standing where wealth is highly skewed with the few rich and the many poor. He said the perpetuation of the former Presidents benefits "lacks serious consideration for the poor, for the disadvantaged, the unemployed youths.
"Look how many people are living in Guyana with minimum wage; so many people are unemployed, in abject poverty."
"This thing is a national disgrace, it's a national embarrassment, it lacks morality, integrity, fair play, justice and equality," said the advocate.
Posted by | July 15, 2014, 3:33 pm
Dem boys seh…Pee Pee Pee now stand fuh Plenty, Plenty Pension
July 15, 2014 | By KNews | Filed Under Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists, News
Jagdeo create history in Guyana and de nation gun be talking 'bout him for a long, long time. Dem boys gun be praying fuh he until he lef this earth, however and whenever he lef it.
Not he alone dem boys gun pray for. Dem got to pray fuh de Bees, especially Brazzy, Bobby and Boyah. All of dem is de talk of Guyana.
As of now, Jagdeo pension package got people, even children talking. All dem children want to be president wid such a package.
De big people seh that Jagdeo shameless. One man seh that de pension is an embarrassment, that while it is legal, it lack morality.
Some of dem seh that it unreasonable and unconscionable, that when Jagdeo and that fat crook Brazzy, put together de pension package dem had no consideration fuh this poor nation.
Is dem li'l children remember how he use to fly round de world fuh tell everybody how Guyana poor. Then he use to beg dem fuh write off de debt.
De man set about going to country wha Guyana never borrow from fuh ask dem fuh debt write off. Kuwait tun he back when he was halfway to that country. People who know de story shame and dem boys was shame fuh he.
Dem boys seh that when anybody look at such a package, any half decent human being would come out and mek a simple statement about de package.
All dem had to seh was "Listen people, if y'all think de package too much, y'all fix it to suit y'all self.
But not that heartless man. And it seems as if de Pee Pee Pee ain't got nobody wid a reasonable decent heart. Donald use to cuss de package now it look like that he love it more than he love he wife.
Dem boys know that Donald really love de Pee Pee Pee from since he small. Is now dem realize is why he and Jagdeo love de Pee Pee Pee so much. It stands for Plenty, Plenty Pension.
Rohee defending this pension like if he gun be de next president. De closest he gun ever get to de president was when Jagdeo ask he fuh act and he tek de car wid de siren mekking nuff noise and go round de town drinking rum.
Rob de Earth and Nandalall love de package. Rob de Earth table de pension Bill in Parliament because he got he eye down de line.
Nandalall, de Hanah Rebel, been ask if de nation want Jagdeo fuh dead a pauper. Well dem boys want to tell dem old people that all of dem ain't got a choice but to dead a pauper because all de money at de post office will have to pay out to Jagdeo, Donald, Rohee if he get near deh, Rob de Earth and de Hanah Rebel Nandalall.
Talk half and wait fuh see any changes in de Plenty, Plenty Pension.
Posted by | July 15, 2014, 3:34 pm
Is Guyana a world mystery?
July 17, 2014 | By KNews | Filed Under Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon
The receipt of $83 million over a two-year period (excluding medical bills which from what we know may bring the total to $170 million) by Bharrat Jagdeo as part of the perks he collects as a former President is the talk of the town. Since the amount became public, this thing has swept through Guyana.
It has emerged as the most talked about public topic for one basic, simple reason – it is unbelievable. From the wealthy to the poor, from the cocktail circuit to the fish market den of Priya, the Satira girl, people cannot accept that poor Guyana can offer that amount of retirement benefits to a former president who is not in his seventies or eighties but as they say in Guyanese parlance, "wan strapping big man who could go and look fuh wuk."
The question that should be asked as this incredible tale gathers momentum is, should we be surprised? The answer is no? The story of the PPP abuse of the resources of Guyana and the Guyanese people is from a science fiction novel. The nation has remained cowed and fearful since Mr. Jagdeo went on his post 2001 rampage.
If any ruling party has contempt for a nation it is the PPP. If contempt is not confronted in its early stage, it will grow out of control. This is what has happened with Guyana and the PPP. It is graphically shown in the person of Clement Rohee. Each act of morbid venality by the PPP is met with a stoney faced Rohee, in a barefaced unapologetic response.
Mr. Rohee told his press conference that he knows nothing about a claim by Mr. Jagdeo's common law wife that she was terribly abused by the then President. No other example shows how contemptuous is the PPP of Guyana. Ms. Varshnie Singh's accusations went viral. It went beyond Guyana and was the biggest story of that year in this country.
So afraid that he would lose power over this macabre mistreatment of Ms. Singh, that Mr. Jagdeo sought help from a nationally known media personality.
That Mr. Rohee can watch his country in the face and tell it that he knows nothing of what Mr. Jagdeo did to Varshnie Singh is sickening. Mr. Rohee didn't stop there. At another press conference he justified pathological corruption by saying those in power saved their money when they were younger.
The PPP General-Secretary seems to be in permanently bizarre overdrive. He sees nothing wrong with the stupendous post-retirement benefits Mr. Jagdeo receives. He said it is legitimate money. He heaped praise on Manickchand for her horrible conduct at the home of the US Ambassador.
Mr. Rohee is not alone. Mr. Ramotar behaves like his presidential predecessor. Again we see the contempt. When asked about the findings of an inquiry into alleged corrupt transactions of the leadership of NCN two years ago, he simply refused to acknowledge the contents of the report much less act on it.
At every press conference when pressed, he says he is yet to act on the report. Then the contempt came forth. He told the media why bother with the report. The people that were investigated are no longer there.
You can analyze Ramotar's response a million ways and you will end up with one interpretation because it is the only interpretation – brazen contempt of a nation. The equivalent of what President Ramotar is saying is that if a gynecologist sexually molested his patients at a hospital and was removed to facilitate a probe why bother with the results, because the predatory doctor is no longer at the hospital.
Of course this complete dismissal of Guyanese people started with Bharrat Jagdeo. If any leader ever laughed at a country and with the wave of his middle finger dismissed the feelings of the population, it was Mr. Jagdeo.
Where does one begin to tell the story of Jagdeo's denigration and suppression of the Guyanese people?
A date is hardly important. It is the enumeration of his authoritarian output. The outlandish post-retirement benefit was inevitable and more extraordinary amounts will come his way once the PPP remains in office. This is because under Mr. Jagdeo, right up to Mr. Ramotar, the PPP feels that it can perpetuate the most horrific violation on this country and get away with it.
When you look at the tyranny Mr. Jagdeo heaped on this land, Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte would have been afraid to do so because of the PPP and WPA opposition. President Janet Jagan buckled under PNC's pressure. Why we tolerated Jagdeo and now the present regime remains a world mystery.
Posted by | July 17, 2014, 11:54 am
Jagdeo's light bill alone exceeds most MPs' pension and salary – Greenidge
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)'s Shadow Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge, is contending that the political
opposition does not have an issue per se with the pension of Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, although it is not set according to any principle used in the public service, but it is the uncapped benefits that are worrying and for which limits must be set.
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said that Jagdeo's monthly electricity bill alone at over $375,000 by far exceeds most parliamentarians' monthly pension and salary.
Greenidge reminded that the former President received a pension totaling $37.2M up to the end of last month. This is in addition to the recently disclosed figures upwards of $45M ($45,417,950) which the taxpayers have had to spend on his electricity bills, transportation and security between December 2011 and last February.
Using the monthly average for his security, transportation, electricity and pension Jagdeo to date, since leaving office, has cost taxpayers in excess of $90M. This figure does not take into account all of the other expenditure incurred by the former president under his 'Pension and other benefits Package."
In an exclusive interview with this publication, the Former Finance Minister said that the public needs to separate the pension from the benefits before they can fully understand the problem.
He explained that Governments set pensions and reimburse expenses on the basis of widely accepted principles.
"Although it is ethically wrong for the President to legislate for himself his own pension on the basis of new principles just before leaving office, that is not the heart of the quarrel…It is his uncapped additional benefits that are the problem. When Jagdeo raised the emoluments of the Chancellor and the Chief Justice, he tied to it the emoluments of the President. He then tied the pension of the President to the emoluments of the current President not his (Jagdeo's) own last salary. If you move President Donald Ramotar's salary, the retired President's goes up as well."
"The President's pension is to be seven-eighths of that of the salary of the current president. So if the President once received $2M in 2009 and it moved to $7M in 2012, the former President gets that fraction of not what he worked for before in 2009, but the bulk of the salary of the current President."
The politician referred to the Constitution which says that the President should get a pension. But Jagdeo passed a piece of legislation, the Former Presidents (Benefits and Facilities) Act, in 2009, which says that he should in addition to his pension, get other benefits.
Greenidge said that this was never the intention of the Constitution, and is what his coalition is opposed to in principle.
"We are not trying to change the pension, and the public needs to understand that this is a most disgraceful situation," he added.
The APNU Parliamentarian said that the public needs to recognize that these additional benefits, provided for in law, have been poorly worded and as a result do not provide limits.
Carl Greenidge
"If Jagdeo retired without children and tomorrow decides to adopt 50 children and he wants to take all of them to the USA to seek medical attention, the taxpayer has to pay. If he wants an Olympic-size swimming pool that costs a further US$1M for electricity we have to pay for it. The benefits need to be capped. Neither former US Presidents nor the former T&T President enjoy anything like this, for example. The magnitude of these benefits bear no relation to any paid to NIS pensioners or to public servants," the politician argued.
He said that it is something that Jagdeo specifically designed for himself and "his PPP cronies that will succeed him and voted for it."
"No Member of Parliament will receive if he/she lives to (2050) age 90, 7/8 of the salary of the Parliamentary salary in 2050. In other words, the pension he has paid himself is already generous, even without the other benefits which were added in 2009. The benefits alone are extravagant and leave it likely that the former President is receiving more in income and benefits than any current President. This is ridiculous and that is why there has been a continuing public outcry," Greenidge concluded.
Apart from what has been disclosed, Jagdeo is also entitled to, under the controversial law he enacted: expenses incurred in the provision and use of water; telephone services at the place of residence in Guyana; services of personal and household staff, including an attendant and a gardener; services of clerical and technical staff (numbers not specified), if requested; free medical attendance and medical treatment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by him for the medical attendance or treatment of himself and the dependant members of his family.
As it relates to the tax exemption status, Greenidge said that if the former President were to get involved in activities such as gold mining for example, they would not be taxed. The APNU parliamentarian said that this is completely "unprecedented and unacceptable."
Greenidge had attempted to cap the benefits by bringing amendments to the National Assembly. This was approved by the Opposition in 2012, but President
Donald Ramotar has refused to assent to it.
Posted by | July 18, 2014, 12:11 pm
Jagdeo's pension among highest in the region
At least one regional economy that vastly outstrips Guyana's pays its former Head of State a smaller pension than what Guyana pays its former Head of State.
Jamaica has an economy of US$15B but pays its former Prime Ministers, roughly US$3,500 per month as pension, while the other benefits are capped. This is not the case in Guyana.
Under Jamaica's laws, the Prime Minister when leaving office is entitled to benefits such as a gardener, a chauffeur, secretary, security and a maid but no more than one of these.
Trinidad and Tobago, which has an economy of US$24B as against Guyana's US$2.8B pays its former Prime Ministers US$8,000. Even the medical benefits are prescribed with caps.
The United States of America, with an economy worth in excess of US$16 trillion dollars will pay President Barrack Obama, US$16,800 dollars a month in pension and provide Secret Service protection, and reimbursements for staff, travel, mail, and office expenses.
Guyana with an economy of US$2.8 B pays its former Head of State, US$6,000 per month.
Under Guyana's Former Presidents Benefits (and other Facilities) Act a president upon retirement is entitled to payment in respect of the expenses incurred in the provision and use of water; electricity and telephone services at the place of residence in Guyana; services of personal and household staff, including an attendant and a gardener; services of clerical and technical staff, if requested; free medical attendance and medical treatment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by him for the medical attendance or treatment of himself and the dependant members of his family; full-time personal security and services of the Presidential Guard Service at the place of residence; the provision of motor vehicles owned and maintained by the State; toll-free road transportation in Guyana; an annual vacation allowance equivalent to the cost of two first class return airfares provided on the same basis as that granted to serving members of the Judiciary; and a tax exemption status identical to that enjoyed by a serving President.
There is no limit to the number of security personnel, no limit to the number of cars for transportation, no limit to medical bills and no limit to telephone and electricity services.
These are all separate and distinct from the pension payable to the former president.
When the law was debated and approved by the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) dominated Parliament in May 2009, the then Shadow Finance Minister, Winston Murray, while welcoming the move to formalize what is paid out to former Presidents had lamented the uncapped nature of the benefits.
Recently, the National Assembly was informed that the State had spent in excess of $45 million ($45,417,950) on Jagdeo's light bill, transportation and security between December 2011 and February at an average of $1,682,146 per month.
This massive expenditure paid for using your tax dollars was cemented in Law by Jagdeo himself, when in 2009, he as head of the then Cabinet, caused to be laid in the National Assembly the Former Presidents (Benefits and Facilities) Bill, which he later assented to, bringing it into law.
Under this law which was vehemently opposed at the time, it costs taxpayers an average of $3M each month.
His security, electricity and transportation alone make up an average of $1.7M each month which must be added to the monthly pension of $1.2M.
Jagdeo is also entitled to, under the Act, provision and use of water; telephone services at the place of residence in Guyana; services of personal and household staff, including an attendant and a gardener; services of clerical and technical staff, if requested; free medical attendance and medical treatment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by him for the medical attendance or treatment of himself and the dependant members of his family; toll-free road transportation in Guyana; an annual vacation allowance equivalent to the cost of two first class return airfares provided on the same basis as that granted to serving members of the Judiciary; and a tax exemption status identical to that enjoyed by a serving President.
Alliance for Change (AFC), Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, back in 2009 had computed that the former President's pension package would amount to just over $3M monthly. This was vehemently denied by the administration at the time.
Carl Greenidge of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) moved a motion to cap the benefits, by bringing amendments to the National Assembly. The motion was passed in the House but President Donald Ramotar has never assented to it.
From December 2011 to February 2014 Jagdeo's total electricity bill amounted to $9,875,680; the transportation cost was $15,220,748; while security cost $20,321,520.
Country Size of Economy Pension Paid
USA US$16 Trillion US$16,000
Trinidad and Tobago US$24 Billion US$8,000
Jamaica US$15 Billion US$3,500
Guyana US$2.8 Billion US$6,000
Posted by | July 20, 2014, 7:24 am
Jagdeo's pension is US$180,000 per year; Obama's is US$127,109
Dear Editor,
If Barack Obama was to start collecting a pension at the same time as Bharrat Jagdeo, he would be entitled to US $199,700 per year. Bharrat Jagdeo gave himself US $180,000 per year. Bharrat Jagdeo pays no taxes on his US$180,000. Barack Obama will have to pay US federal taxes of 33 percent and Illinois state taxes of five percent on his US$199,700 leaving him with US$127,109 in pension.
Compare that to Bharrat Jagdeo's US $180,000 tax-free pension paid for by the sweat, blood and tears of the working class people of Guyana and you get an image that makes you want to truly vomit in disgust.
While the Guyanese people can't afford to buy chicken in their own land and stagger under the weight of financial burdens, corruption and PPP misery, always thinking of running away to a good and immensely better life in the USA, Bharrat Jagdeo pays himself more than the man running the country which many in this dear land of Guyana see as the land of milk and honey, the good old USA.
Barack Obama, the President of the great nation of the United States of America that gave hundreds of thousands of poor and fleeing Guyanese a place of opportunity and success, will collect less in pension than the Champion of the Guyana Dirt. The President of a nation that gave shelter to the multitudes fleeing this nation from the failed policies of PNC and the PPP and Bharrat Jagdeo will earn less in pension than the tin pot elected dictator of a broken state.
Hundreds of thousands of Guyanese who found a better life in the country of Barack Obama send millions of US dollars in remittances to keep the decrepit cesspool Bharrat Jagdeo runs as Champion of the Guyana Dirt afloat. Barack Obama's country enables Bharrat Jagdeo's countrymen to stay alive in the horrors of Jagdeo rule.
Barack Obama runs a nation of almost 400 million people and is the leader of the free world. Yet Barack Obama will earn less in pension than Bharrat Jagdeo every year. Some travesties and wrongdoings just make your skin crawl. Vote for change, people of Guyana, vote for change.
M. Maxwell
Posted by | July 20, 2014, 7:51 am
bhar'RAT Jag_De_Ho, THE_RAT!!
Are the puppeteer of the puppet, rum_a_tar_the_drunkard, together are their leaders of THE_EVIL_RACIST_ppp_party, government, cabinet and ministers.
LEECHES THEIR EXISTENCE ON THE HARD WORKING OVER TAXED Guyanese PEOPLE. ONLY TO GET RICHER LIVING LARGE AND IN CHARGE, ENTRENCHED THEIR PRADOVILL MANSIONS, LUXURY VEHICLES, PAY NO RENT OR UTILITIES.
THEY TOGETHER HABITUAL RELIES ON AND EXPLOITS THE TAXPAYERS OF Guyana.
WITH PURPOSEFUL VANITY & MALICE TO BEGRUDGE Guyanese & THE NATION OF GENUINE GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT OR ITS BASIC SURVIVAL AND COMFORTS, AS THEIR ONLY SORRY TYRANNICAL LEGACY.
Posted by | July 20, 2014, 8:44 am
Jagdeo's benefits likely cost Guyanese $4.2 million per month
Dear Editor,
The government released figures on Jagdeo's electricity, transportation and security expenses from December 2011 to February 2014, a period of 27 months. Total electricity bill for the period was $9,875,680 at a monthly average of $365,766. Total transportation was $15,220,748 at a monthly average of $563,371. Total security bill was $20,321,520 at a monthly average of $752,649. The Minister apparently did not submit all the requested information and the opposition, as usual, was negligent in asking for an itemized list of all covered benefits under the Former Presidents (Benefits and Facilities) Act. Therefore, we are left with an incomplete picture of the totality of the largesse Jagdeo is enjoying under this law. However, the limited snapshot of expenditure offered on just three items – transportation, electricity and security – is already frighteningly mind-blowing. On only these three items, Jagdeo racked up a stunning $45,417,948 in expenses. That is $1,682,146 per month for just electricity, transportation and security.
To understand the shameless and unconscionable atrocity here, the Bank of Guyana's reported Guyana's GDP per capita for 2013 as US $3496.30 or GY $699,260. Yes, you saw it absolutely correctly; Jagdeo's MONTHLY expenses on only electricity, transportation and security is 2.4 times what every citizen of Guyana was valued at for the entire 2013. Guyana is producing an average of GY $699,260 per YEAR and Jagdeo is consuming $1,682,146 per MONTH only for electricity, transportation and security. This is not to mention Jagdeo's pension, which is roughly $1.2 million per month. But there is even more. The Former Presidents (Benefits and Facilities) Act makes taxpayers liable for the following (1) water (2) telephone (3) personal and household staff including an attendant and a gardener (4) clerical and technical staff, if requested (5) medical expenses for the president and dependants (6) motor vehicles owned and maintained by the State (7) toll free road transportation in Guyana (8) an annual vacation allowance equivalent to the cost of two first class return airfares provided on the same basis as that granted to serving members of the Judiciary.
Water and telephone use for a mansion with a pool and a former president with significant overseas contacts to call abroad is probably in the range of $50,000 per month. Using the assumption that the total household staff (cooks, attendants, gardeners, cleaners) for Jagdeo is generally equivalent in cost to Jagdeo's monthly security expense, we are looking at approximately $750,000 monthly for these staff. Assuming clerical and technical staff has been retained, we are looking at another $300,000 to $500,000 per month for clerical and technical staff (we will use $300,000 in our calculation).
Medical expenses, excluding medical transportation, for Jagdeo is difficult to estimate and is certainly going to be less now than in the future as he gets older. Jagdeo has already demonstrated by that trip the willingness to seek medical treatment abroad as opposed to utilizing treatment at home. It is highly likely given this precedent that Jagdeo will utilize medical treatment abroad as a first option. This is a very expensive route. I will use an estimate of $100,000 per month (US $500 per month) to cover future medical expenses (not medical transportation), which will increase with aging.
Motor vehicles provided by the state are probably included in the figures provided for transportation, but that would obviously not include the purchase price of vehicles by the state solely for Jagdeo and their maintenance and depreciation costs. It is unclear if fuel expenses for transportation are included in the figures released by Ashni Singh, so clarification is required by the opposition on this item.
Using two new high-end vehicles such as Prados purchased for Jagdeo or make exclusive for Jagdeo's use at any given time at a purchase price of $5 million each or $10 million total and used for five years before being replaced with new similar vehicles, we are looking at a depreciation loss to taxpayers of approximately $5 million covering 5 years for both vehicles or $83,000 per month. This is based on North American average depreciation values. Maintenance of these vehicles is yet another cost. Estimating maintenance at 10% of purchase price or $1 million over five years, which is equivalent to monthly maintenance cost of $17,000, we have a total depreciation and maintenance cost of $100,000 per month.
Again, this estimate is based on only two high-end vehicles and does not include operational costs such as fuel purchases and the cost of hiring drivers. Toll free road transportation is likely a nominal item.
The toll on the Berbice Bridge is the significant expense for road tolls in Guyana. The question is whether Jagdeo himself has to be on the trip or whether the relief is available to his staff doing work on his behalf. A reasonable estimate for tolls is $2000 per month. A first class return airfare on Caribbean Airlines to a major city like New York is approximately US $1500. Two such tickets would cost approximately US $3000 or GY $600,000 per year or $50,000 per month.
To estimate Jagdeo's monthly tax-free expenses paid for by the taxpayers, we add the following: electricity $$365,766; plus transportation $563,371; plus security $752,649; plus pension $1.2 million; plus water & telephone $50,000; plus personal and household staff $750,000; plus technical and professional staff $300,000; plus medical expenses $100,000; plus vehicle costs $100,000; plus $2000 toll free road transportation; plus vacation expense $50,000. The total of these known and estimated expenses is $4,233,786 per month or US $21,169 per month.
This is equivalent to GY $50,805,432 per year or US $254,027 per year. The yearly value of these tax-free benefits is equivalent to being in the top 1.5% of US households in terms of income and the value is 72.66 times the GDP per capita of Guyana. Based on this estimate, it is possible that the Guyanese people have paid and funded just over $114 million in tax-free benefits to Jagdeo for the past 27 months.
The other issue is how much will this cost taxpayers for the rest of Jagdeo's life. I do not like to pronounce of issues like life expectancy but for the purposes of estimating how much a certain legislation could cost taxpayers, it is important to do so to ensure the nation understands the economic cost and burden of these benefits. Clearly, Jagdeo's life expectancy cannot be based on the average Guyanese life expectancy for the simple fact that Jagdeo has experienced a better standard of living than most Guyanese since his twenties and is expected to live longer than the average Guyanese as a result. His access to these Mercedes-Benz benefits will likely place him at North American life expectancy, which is 75 years for males. What will this cost taxpayers to age 75 for Jagdeo?
Using January 2012 as the baseline when he was 48 years and assuming he lives to age 75, Jagdeo will likely have 27 years of remaining life. At an estimated GY $$51 million per year in benefits, the total cost to taxpayers will be $1.38 billion Guyana dollars or US $6.86 million. This calculation does not consider yearly increases to these amounts and costs, which are highly likely. For example, a simple three percent yearly increase in the cost of these benefits largely due to the demands of aging will see the total cost of the benefits at skyrocket to around GY $2.06 billion) by age 75 or US $10.3 million.
These figures are subject to correction by the Minister of Finance and Mr. Jagdeo himself, with proof, of course. They highlight the travesty this unlimited benefits package really is. Donald Ramotar who has been a failure will reap these benefits. In fact, a minimum of three presidents and up to seven presidents could be elected by the time Jagdeo turns 75 years. At the cost of $2.06 billion or US $10.3 million per president, this unlimited package to all presidents elected before Jagdeo turns age 75 could cost taxpayers a minimum of $10 billion to a maximum of probably $30 billion. In a country teeming with poor people struggling for survival, this pension benefits package is an abomination. When will the Guyanese people wake up?
M. Maxwell
Posted by | July 25, 2014, 7:45 am
Have faith, your cries will be answered
You got to have faith to continue to live a normal life in Guyana. You might want to know wha dem boys talking about. Dem mek a road today and it bruck up tomorrow.
You build a stelling in de morning and by afternoon it float way; you build a bridge by morning and de next day it collapse. Dem building koker all across Guyana wheh dem don't have canal or trench.
Dem putting down water pump that can't pump water fuh full a glass. All these projects got dem spending 15 and in some cases 50 times de actual cost to build dem.
Dem go suh far fuh expand airport and spending money that can build ten airport in de region. That same airport got 69 toilet bowl and tank that cost $500,000 each. To justify that, Jagdeo and Benn seh that special people coming to Guyana and dem got to use de toilet because dem kaka special. Jagdeo and Benn justify de spending pun de airport telling de nation that dem eyeing black people from Africa.
Dem boys seh that dem got some nerve, fuh sure is not balls, to tell this nation such crap, when dem can't even bring dem own mattee black people, coolie people or buck from we neighbouring country.
Dem building fancy hotel pon taxpayers land wid de taxpayers money that will eventually end up landing in private man hand. Is all dem things force people to have faith.
Dem boys know bout faith and strongly believe in it. Dem remember de story wid Abraham, and not Jagdeo close man who he knock off. This is de one from de Bible.
He was way too old to have a baby, but de Creatah promise him that he would have a son. Abraham had strong faith." He get up every morning and said, "Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You that my baby is on its way."
He kept thanking de Creatah and eventually, the promise came to pass.
De same way de Creatah promise Abraham to give him a baby is de same way he promise dem boys that he will see all de Bees including de man who look like de devil, Jagdeo, Irfaat and Rob de Earth, end up in pumpkin jumpsuit.
De Creatah tell Uncle Glenn and Uncle Adam, "What I started in your life I will finish." The key is to follow Abraham's example and praise God while you wait.
Talk half and wait. It's only time.
Posted by | July 25, 2014, 11:13 am
Our forests are been destroyed, time for a regime change
Dear Editor,
In any country, organization or institution that is performing poorly, the most important cause is almost always lack of leadership or incompetency or both. History is replete with examples that in almost every country the role of political leadership in the process of economic development is very important.
Why do some countries achieve economic development and others like Guyana do not, thus remaining in a perpetual state of underdevelopment because of poor leadership or incompetency and we must add, corruption. In fact, we believe that Guyana is in a state of persistent poverty when compared to most of its CARICOM counterparts. This is why thousands of Guyanese have and continue to abandon Guyana for the Caribbean.
This leads to the question as to why Guyana is a failed state. The answer lies in the myopic approaches/policies taken by the political leadership as well as the massive corrupt practices that are taking place almost every day.
Political leadership has been observed to be a critical influence on the efficiency of institutions, economic behavior and investment incentives and it is these key ingredients that determine the economic success or failure of nations. For economic growth to be achieved, it is necessary to have effective political leadership which Guyana does not have at the moment.
Economic decisions are critical for determining the performance of an economy, but whether a country is poor or prosperous depends on political leadership. It can be argued that it is political leadership that determines what economic decisions are taken. However, this cannot be achieved with the current inept leadership that has pawned Guyana's pristine forests to foreigners who are causing major destruction to the environment.
In Guyana, despite what the regime says, there has been very little economic success and the regime has to be blamed for its poor policies and lack of effective and good political leadership.
They have not created a policy framework that ensures the security of the people, private property, and an unbiased system in which the best qualified will be employed and a functioning market system in an atmosphere based on the equitable distribution of goods and services. But despite some outstanding individuals, the ruling oligarchy since the late 1990s has not produced good political leaders and this is not an historical accident or an act of God, rather it is the result of irresponsible and reckless behavior of the oligarchy to select any riff-raff person as their presidential candidate.
They select those who aspire to benefit from their political positions in the form of bribery or stealing. And the only reason why they have done this is because the party leaders believe that they can win an election by playing the race card and appealing to their supporters.
Guyana needs its brightest and best leaders to go into politics and public service. Politics need people with the attitude extolled by the late President John F Kennedy: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Guyana does not need leaders whose only intention is to rape the treasury to fill their pockets and those of their relatives and friends.
These people must be weeded out of the political system and be prosecuted. Leadership change is urgently needed to weed out crime and corruption and to prevent the further destruction of our pristine forests.
This regime has ruined the coastland, raped the treasury, bankrupted the country and has now sold the forests in the interior. They will not stop until Guyana is completely ruined and the people become full-fledged paupers and beggars.
Guyana is in a crisis of political leadership. The current political leadership is pathetic and should be replaced immediately either by elections or by any other legal means necessary to save the country and its people from tyranny and the kletocrats .
They have sold or have taken the best ocean front lands for themselves, sold the state properties to their friends at below the market prices and now they have pawned our pristine hinterland forests to foreigners who have no respect for the environment. As we watched our forests being destroyed by foreigners, it is time for new political leadership. This cannot and should not be allowed to continue. Wake up people, time for action is now.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh
Posted by | August 20, 2014, 9:16 am
The Jagdeo-Ramotar approach to private enterprise
Posted By TarronKhemraj On August 20, 2014 @ 5:01 am In Daily,Features |
Former President Jagdeo has carved out his own method of promoting private enterprise. The strategy has largely been adopted by current President Ramotar. Both men had strong Marxist-Leninist upbringing. This socialization is quite evident in the manner in which they go about promoting private investments in Guyana. On the surface, they appear to be strong proponents of a private sector led economy where economic activities are guided by free private markets and firms. However, if we delve deeper we would see the Freedom House hand instead of the invisible hand of markets driving private investments. The Freedom House hand, which appears pro-business on the surface, involves significant control of who can invest and in which sectors. Mr Jagdeo made it clear a few years ago that he is promoting a new private sector. He was dead serious and indeed his approach includes punishing the old private sector as he builds up the new one using the resources of taxpayers.
Even the Private Sector Commission appears to be pro-Jagdeo and pro-PPP these days. So much so that it appears like the Marxist-Leninist PPP has become the pro-business party, while the opposition looks mainly like the party of negativism and budget cuts. Instead of crafting a new social, political and economic vision for the country, the opposition is now the party of many nays. It is not that active opposition is not needed, but to overcome the incumbency advantage positive alternatives have to be given as much as the nays. Although my sample of observation of young people – some of mixed ethnicities – in Guyana is cursory at best, it suggests some of them (very likely your swing voters) are coming around to accepting the PPP as the party of young professionals. Let us try to understand why the Jagdeo-Ramotar (hereafter the JR) method versus the opposition's way could be turning some middle voters to accepting the status quo.
Firstly, the entire edifice of the JR approach is to produce so-called symbols of development. These symbols, when combined with the ample new hang out spots that emerged owing to the underground economy, provide powerful visuals in favour of the government. The PPP and Jagdeo prefer a "development" programme that is premised on drinking, partying, gambling and 20-20 cricket. Tertiary education will take a back seat as we can see with the brinkmanship this week played out over the University of Guyana. The Social Sciences – from where the critical thinkers are more likely to emerge – in particular will take a big hit.
Many young people, independent voters and the PPP East Indian supporters are given a choice between the so-called symbols of development and the purely negative approach of the opposition. The Guyana Times recently wrote an editorial "Cricket in nation building". The editorial provides a key insight into the JR approach, which is not too concerned that the crowds frequenting the artless 20-20 cricket matches at the stadium are mainly East Indians. Nor is it too bothered by the disintegration of Bourda and its great legacy in West Indian and world cricket. Development does not include social cohesion and preservation of history and great legacies. It is the PPP's way or the highway! Nevertheless, middle voters are given two choices: (i) the JR approach of hot and wild party spots, gambling, drinking, gyrating, swanky new houses located in areas with recurring floods, ample rum shops and no green parks in which children can play, a ritzy cricket stadium and 20-20 cricket; and (ii) the opposition's negative way.
Furthermore, in the JR approach gyrating and artlessness are not subtle. One has to only go back to the party's 2011 election campaign song "dem a watch we" to get a feel for the in-your-face method. The song encapsulates the methodology and mentality of those proposing the JR way quite well. It says we the oligarchs will capture the state, the PPP and eventually the government to offer ourselves all the advantages for plunder and patronage. We shall acquire the wealth via patronage and nepotism rather than personal abilities, sacrifices or education. Therefore, civil society is just envious of our oligarchic wealth; hence the message "dem a watch we." The meaning of the song is quite clear: join the wine up party or just be envious of our plunder and blunder.
A second aspect of the approach is the desire to completely control the media and information space. Even data from the Bureau of Statistics are now suppressed. As this column is written, the website of the Bureau of Statistics has been suspended. It is the first time this writer has seen the website suspended after visiting it regularly for the past 14 years. State resources are used to nurture a new like-minded private media. The Guyana Times was created while Kaieteur News and Stabroek News were boycotted by the Jagdeo government. Monopoly rights are given for the purchase of medicines so that the monopoly profits can be used to buy up private TV and radio stations. Radio licences were given mainly to friends and families associated with the government.
Thirdly, the strategy above is in keeping with the desire for limited complementarities of investments. A Marriott hotel was established in spite of the low occupancy rate that already exists in the hotel industry. The government did not see the need for a sound feasibility study. The purpose of the Marriott – subsidized by taxpayers' money – is to eventually corner the market and gradually kill off other hotels that will eventually be bought up cheaply.
This is the exact opposite of how the Asian economies (Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia) used complementarities in industrial policy to nurture their domestic business sector.
The same principle is used for the suppression of the independent private media. It is hoped that eventually the pesky independent private media will just go away as the oligarchs create a new one.
Fourthly, only dubious foreign investors without a credible track record are allowed to invest in Guyana. No reputable global publicly traded company (except the obscure CGX that was traded) subjected to strict disclosure laws or an American company subjected to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) has ever invested here since 1992. The FCPA is an American law that prohibits its companies from offering bribes in foreign countries.
The PPP government therefore found a natural ally in the natural resource sharks from Asia. The sharks often make great promises to invest in manufacturing and ship building here. But as the private media shows, it's all a ruse meant for clouding the real intention of only extracting and exporting raw materials. The sharks also hardly rely on local workers. The tax base and NIS contributions are not expanded from these investments in natural resources.
The next column will pick up on these themes providing data to demonstrate that the overall private sector is actually contracting instead of expanding. The main thesis of Development Watch is the contraction is determined because of the lack of complementarities and the deliberate crowding out of traditional private investors.
Posted by | August 20, 2014, 11:12 am
Forestry Commission another example of Jagdeo's legacy of financial lawlessness – Chris Ram
Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram, after examining the Annual Reports of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC),
Chartered accountant, Chris Ram has said that the entity is just another example of the perpetuation of Jagdeo's legacy of financial lawlessness, a situation that is as wide as it is deep.
On his website, Chrisram.net, the accountant provides further details about his findings of the reports of the Commission for the years 2005 to 2012 which were all laid in Parliament in November, 2013.
Ram said that the state of financial lawlessness created by former President Bharrat Jagdeo, surely allows for the GFC's "incomplete and deceptive" reports to be tabled and accepted by the National Assembly without any questions being asked or challenges posed.
Ram asserted that the chaos created is one in which the national accounting body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana, remains silent even as basic rules of accounting are violated with impunity.
The state of lawlessness that exists, is "One in which the parliamentary bodies are paralysed by their own mediocrity. One in which we even have a mini-parallel Consolidated Fund called NICIL, and where the evidence of slush funds everywhere mounts," he added.
On his website, Ram said that the Government will not allow it, and the weak opposition will not even ask for it, but only a wide-ranging, independent investigation into the public financial management of this country generally, and of NICIL specifically, can stem the relentless decline in accounting and accountability. The people of Guyana must demand it.
Since the Commission tabled its annual reports for the years 2005 to 2012, it has attracted several criticisms for its glaring deficiencies and violations of best accounting practices.
There was a published series on the said shortcomings of the reports done by Janette Bulkan and John Palmer.
In their analysis, they pointed to the fact that the ad hoc manner in which the report was prepared, would suggest that
the reports were written long after events took place, because the reports for the years 2005 and 2006 make reference to the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which was not implemented until mid 2009.
Highlighted as well in their detailed report was the Commission's failure to address the implementation of national policies and strategies in their annual reports.
Bulkan and Palmer argued that, "this failure to present the most basic characteristics conventional in reports of government agencies – that is, the reporting on performance against national policies and strategies approved by the National Assembly – is a serious deficiency in the direction and management of the GFC."
They said that it makes it unnecessarily difficult to trace trends in performance. The duo said too, that the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources should demand that the GFC among other agencies, report on their performance against policies.
Another point they mentioned was the failure of the Commission to report on performance of the forest sector. They explained, "Annual reports should tell what actually happened in relation to what was planned, and to explain the differences. Apart from congratulating itself in most years on achieving more than 90 per cent of its plans, the GFC makes almost no attempt to show its plans or to comment on what actually happened in relation to those plans."
They continued, "The Annual Reports from 2005-2012 mostly concentrate on process, not on performance, yet at the same time fail to situate the activities within the national forest policy process…There has been no attempt in these eight reports (2005 to 2012) to compare progress against the national forest policy (1997) and national forest plan (2001)…"
The duo also said that the GFC operates a relatively large number of externally-funded projects. These, they said, include several capacity-building/training projects during 2005-2012.
"Certainly it is important to say how many GFC staff went for what kind of training, where and when. But it is also important to indicate what lasting benefits have been obtained from this training, how GFC procedures and practices have changed as a result of the training, how national policies and strategies are better addressed by better-trained staff, and how overall and specific performances have improved," Bulkan and Palmer expressed.
The audited accounts of the Commission, they posited, make no explicit mention of the sub-accounts for the numerous projects; who has been undertaking the external audits of these projects, and with what results. These questions raised have not been answered by the Forestry Commission or by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.
Posted by | August 23, 2014, 9:58 am
GFC illegally paid over $600M to NICIL
– "To add insult to injury, the Auditor General signs off on financial statements approved not by the Board which has the statutory duty for the financial statements but by Mr. James Singh, the Commissioner," Chris Ram …
The Annual Reports and the Audited Financial Statements of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) leaves more worrying questions than convincing answers, particularly as it relates to transparency and accountability.
Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram among other critics, upon doing a detailed analysis of the Annual reports of the agency for the years, 2005-2012 all of which were laid in the National Assembly in November, 2013 found several alarming deficiencies and irregularities.
But even in the face of these, the reports were granted "unqualified opinions" by the Auditor General. When a report is given an unqualified opinion by an auditor, it means that he has vouched for the authenticity, accuracy and transparency of the information presented to him.
The reports reveal that for several years, the Commission has been transferring millions to the National Industrial & Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL) and the Environmental Protection Agency, which is against the law.
Ram contends that for the $600 million that the GFC allowed to be paid over to NICIL, all its directors should be hauled before the courts while NICIL should be investigated and disbanded. He said that the combination of NICIL/GFC is not only an insult to the intelligence of Guyanese but a challenge and an affront to decency.
To add insult to injury, Ram noted that the Auditor General signed off on financial statements approved not by the Board of Directors of GFC which has the statutory duty for the statements, but by Mr. James Singh, the Commissioner "Surely even the most docile Guyanese must have some breaking point at which they say enough is more than enough."
The Chartered Accountant on his website, Chrisram.net said that one would expect Finance Ministers to be zealously vigilant and robustly protective of moneys payable into the country's Consolidated Fund. "Instead, we have NICIL, under the successive chairmanship of two Finance Ministers, being used to siphon off hundreds of millions of dollars due to the Consolidated Fund. There can be no extenuating circumstances that could excuse, let alone justify such unlawful and reckless conduct, fully aware of the nescient (ignorant) state of the Auditor General's Office," The accountant expressed.
There was also a published series on the said shortcomings of the Commission's reports done by Janette Bulkan and John Palmer.
The duo also pointed to the NICIL/GFC fiasco. In their detailed analysis, they too pointed to the fact that large amounts of monies, and large variations from year to year between line items in the Commission's annual reports appear to have been unquestioned by the Auditor General.
Bulkan and Palmer said that no explanation was offered as to why the GFC should be holding over US$4 million in cash each year, why transfers are made to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and NICIL, but none to the Consolidated Fund.
They said too that no explanation was given by the GFC as to why it is acquiring and disposing of fixed assets and why it has current tax liabilities of up to US$10 million in a year – dwarfing other line items.
They stressed that there is a legal requirement for the GFC to make transfers to the Consolidated Fund (Section 16 (2) in the GFC Act 2007), but no requirement to send money to the EPA or NICIL.
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Carl Greenidge, in support of their findings, said that this is an important and contentious issue.
The former Finance Minister reiterated that the Forestry Act of 2009 makes no reference to either NICIL or the EPA so an explanation is definitely needed as to the relationship of the two entities and their claims on GFC funds.
"We need to know what instructions or secret agreements were made to facilitate this blatant disregard for the law. Did the GFC Board actually take this decision or was it a calculated move by the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud? The people need to know," Greenidge concluded.
A Partnership for National Unity's Member on the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources, Joseph Harmon said too that even from a limited review of the reports of the Commission, "it seems like the GFC is another milking cow for NICIL, more food in the trough for Brassington and his crew. As these emerge, Guyanese people see clearly how the country's resources are siphoned off to a parallel budget over which the National Assembly has no control."
Moreover, Ram had also stated that the GFC is just another example of the perpetuation of Jagdeo's legacy of financial lawlessness, a situation that is as wide as it is deep.
He said that the state of financial lawlessness created by former President Bharrat Jagdeo surely allows for the GFC's "incomplete and deceptive" reports to be tabled and accepted by the National Assembly without any questions being asked or challenges posed.
Ram asserted that the chaos created is one in which the national accounting body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana, remains silent even as basic rules of accounting are violated with impunity.
The state of lawlessness that exists, is "One in which the parliamentary bodies are paralysed by their own mediocrity. One in which we even have a mini-parallel Consolidated Fund called NICIL and where the evidence of slush funds everywhere mounts," he added.
On his website, Ram said that only a wide-ranging, independent investigation into the public financial management of this country generally and of NICIL specifically can stem the relentless decline in accounting and accountability. He opined that the Government will not allow it and the weak opposition will not ask for it but the people of Guyana must demand it.
On his website, the accountant provides further details about his findings of the reports of the Commission for the years 2005 to 2012 which were all laid in Parliament in November, 2013.
Posted by | August 24, 2014, 11:57 am
GFC Annual Reports…Gross irregularities highlight slack nature of oversight bodies – Vieira
The gross irregularities in the Annual Reports of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) for the years 2005 to 2012
which have escaped condemnation by the relevant oversight bodies not only highlight their weakness and lax nature, but bring their professionalism into question.
This was the general principle that headlined the comments provided by Anthony Vieira who serves as an agriculture consultant to A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). The sugar production expert was asked to give his take on the anomalies that have been identified in the annual reports of the GFC by several critics.
Chartered Accountant Chris Ram, Janette Bulkan, John Palmer and even other members of the opposition had given their take and in some cases provided a detailed analysis on the topic.
Vieira in an interview with this publication noted that he agreed implicitly with comments made by Ram.
Ram had said that the GFC is just another example of the perpetuation of former President Bharrat Jagdeo's legacy of financial lawlessness, a state that is as wide as it is deep. He said that this state of affairs allows for the GFC's "incomplete and deceptive" reports to be tabled and accepted by the National Assembly without any questions being asked or challenges posed.
The state of lawlessness that exists, is "one in which the parliamentary bodies are paralyzed by their own mediocrity. One in which we even have a mini-parallel Consolidated Fund called NICIL and where the evidence of slush funds everywhere mounts," he added.
Ram asserted that the financial chaos created is one in which the national accounting body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana, remains silent even as basic rules of accounting are violated with impunity.
In support of Ram's statements, Vieira added that the irregularities in the Annual Reports reflect the weakness of the opposition and more particularly the lack of professionalism and awareness in the audit office
On the statement of the reports being a reflection of the executive lawlessness initiated by Jagdeo, and the fact that the Commission illegally paid over millions to the controversial NICIL, Vieira said that there is no question that the law has been violated in this matter. He said that this is so since all outstanding amounts from every government agency is supposed to be returned to the Consolidated Fund at the end of every year.
Vieira said that the GFC seems to have been putting the money in places where our laws forbid it to be placed, and this inexplicably continues to be ignored.
"How is it possible that a parliament which is controlled by the opposition accepted the annual reports of the forestry commission without question, despite gross irregularities almost on every page, it shows clearly that they are not paying attention," Vieira asked.
Moreover, Bulkan and John Palmer in their published series made mention of other glaring discrepancies in the GFC's annual reports, all of which were laid in the National Assembly in November 2013. They pointed to the consequences of continued high turnover of staff mentioned in the Commission's reports. The duo stated the reasons for this are explained only in relation to junior staff, no counter-measures are suggested, and the effects on performance are not indicated.
At the recently concluded GFC press conference, officials told reporters that in terms of persons fired in the past, the agency has dismissed persons "for not fulfilling their obligations properly" but it would not be more than 5% of them.
The Annual Report for 2006 makes no mention of employment. However, the Annual Report for 2012 said that the attrition rate for 2012 was at 17% compared to 13% for 2011. The 2012 report also stated that there were 9 dismissals in 2009 and 12 in 2010. This clearly contradicts what the Commission stated at its recent press conference.
Posted by | August 27, 2014, 9:53 am
The Indian middle class voted against the PPP in 2011
Mr. Ralph Ramkarran wrote that the AFC drove its way into the PPP's working class space in Berbice and received electoral support from such a class in 2011, thus reducing the PPP's majority. Mr. Ramkarran felt the PPP retained Indian middle class embrace and he wonders if the Indian middle stratum will punish the PPP in the forthcoming general elections next year.
The statistics do not corroborate these findings of Mr. Ramkarran. The AFC got three seats from Berbice and three from Region 4. It meant that all those votes could not have come from the proletarian constituencies only. The PPP lost a substantial amount of Indian middle class voters in 2011 and that is likely to increase in 2015. It should be mentioned that contrary to what Mr. Ramkarran posited, in 2006 all the AFC votes were not from the African electorate. In 2006, too, the Indian middle class gravitated to the AFC, though in less numbers than in 2011.
Everybody talks about the changing ethnic demography that has adversely affected the PPP's percentage in 2011 and that will doom them forever, because the Indian majority is a thing of the past. Be that as it may, the Indian middle class began to be alienated from the PPP from 2006 onwards, but certain factors stood in the way of an exodus. First, the 2006 poll came too close after the bloody drama of Buxton.
The 2002-2005 crime syndrome deterred the Indian petty bourgeoisie from going to the AFC, because memories of the violence were too fresh. Secondly, the AFC was born just literally months before the 2006 election. It didn't have time to showcase its personnel and values. If the AFC had more time, it would have received more Indian middle class ballots, because Raphael Trotman was seen by that class as a decent Black man that they could work with.
By 2011, the Indian middle stratum had bolted. First, Jagdeo was a gigantic reason. The Indian middle class saw Jagdeo as a crude, ill-mannered corrupt man that was in billions of ways different from Cheddi Jagan. This class may go back if the PPP can produce what the Indian middle class wants, a politician that behaves like Cheddi Jagan.
Unfortunately for the PPP, it hasn't got such a person, but the AFC has one in Moses Nagamootoo. Nagamootoo should meticulously monitor his security arrangements as the next general elections draw near. Secondly, in 2016, a large contingent of Indian activists moved into the AFC, thereby giving the Indian middle class an alternative to the PPP. There is no reason to believe that this will not continue from here on. Thirdly, with Nigel Hughes replacing Trotman as an African that is trustworthy, the Indian petty bourgeois will be less uncertain about backing the AFC.
There are other factors apart from the ones outlined above; another is the man himself, Donald Ramotar. There is no way a politician like Ramotar can win back the Indian middle class. Simply put, Mr. Ramotar just doesn't have it to captivate even the upper working class level of Indian voters. It will take Herculean efforts to work on Mr. Ramotar and time is not on his side – the 2015 election is months away. What analysts need to know is that apart from decreasing Indian numbers in the population, Indian culture itself is changing, and rapidly so.
Cheddi Jagan was a god to semi-literate and illiterate rural Indians. He could have fooled, cajoled, manipulated them and they wouldn't have known what hit them. This is the nature of such people not only in Guyana but all over the world. The East Indian of the Cheddi Jagan era is dead and gone. The East Indian of Guyana in today's world is a youth with a Samsung Galaxy S5 that he/she uses the entire day listening into and seeing what the world is doing. He/she is not cannon fodder as what they were in Jagan's days.
There is no way a Clement Rohee, Donald Ramotar, Roger Luncheon, Gail Teixeira, Komal Chand, Indra Chandarpal, and company can even talk to them, much less persuade them. But it is these same has-beens who will be leading the campaign trail in 2015, with Bharrat Jagdeo in the middle making things even worse.
There is a growing number out there who believe the PPP will lose a majority again in 2015. I beg to differ. My analysis is based on the faults of the AFC's 2011 campaign. If they could learn from the previous mistakes, like the neglect of Region 3 during the campaign, the PPP will lose outright in 2015.
Posted by | August 27, 2014, 9:57 am
Man-kisser, the beacon of truth and human mystery
Civilization will go on for thousands of years, and knowledge of what makes up the human being will be greatly expanded, but the mystery of the human will go on. We may live forever, but it is doubtful we will ever understand what makes people do the things they do.
Last Sunday, a speeding driver ran a red light and almost killed my cousin, William Cox and his wife. At the station, the erring driver apologized and asked for leniency. Then an incredible thing happened. When both drivers were asked to produce their documents, the driver in the wrong had three missing papers – driver's licence, vehicle registration and insurance.
What makes people do what they do? You would think that someone behind the wheel of a vehicle and not in possession of vital documents would be extra-careful. Last week, I was in conversation with a Guyanese I knew when I was a UG student. He has returned to invest and live in Guyana. With a broad smile on his face, he said he always found it funny when he read the online edition of the Guyana Times and the many instances it referred to me as a man-kisser.
He said he told his wife he would like to meet me one day to find out where this man-kissing thing started, because he cannot conceive of me being a homosexual. My first reaction was that I don't read the Guyana Times often and I don't know they refer to me as a man-kisser regularly in their pages. He said quite often they do. When I explained who labelled me a man-kisser, this gentleman opened his mouth wide, wide and started to laugh loudly.
The guy couldn't believe it, I cannot believe it up to this day and I suppose all, not most, but all Guyanese in and out of Guyana cannot believe it. I was publicly called a man-kisser by a man who is nationally perceived to be a man-kisser himself. He is one of the most powerful politicians in the leadership of the PPP at present and once thought he was the monarch of Guyana. Not one person from the time I was born up to the present time ever hinted that I was homosexual.
There is nothing I have done in my life that would cause anyone to think that I am a homosexual. And I am not a homosexual. But please note I have absolutely nothing against homosexuals. I have been married for thirty-six years to the same woman, fathered a kid and I find women aesthetically and sexually attractive. The comical irony is that the person who called me a man-kisser is believed by most Guyanese in and out of the country to be a practicing homosexual.
His common law wife told the Guyanese people that one week after their religious wedding he evicted her from the martial bedroom. She refused to answer a question from the media as to if the union was ever consummated. This politician is never seen with women at any public event be it a visiting performer, international football game, international cricket match, a national event of importance. Always, he is in the company of men. There is no visibility of a woman in this man's company in public events. As a bachelor he doesn't seem to date females. At fifty-one, he is not a father and remains unmarried.
He has facilitated a number of homosexuals in top public jobs. I repeat; I have no objection to homosexuality and no objection to gays being in top position in the public sector. My issue is why would such a person try to deride me by calling me a man-kisser when he is the man kisser? Why try to derogate me by putting a label on when the very label you wear.
We come back to where we started. Could we ever understand people? The Guyana Times that often refers to me as a man-kisser needs to identify the man-kisser who is a powerful figure in the origin of the Guyana Times and is believed by many to be one of the owners along with major shareholder, Bobby Ramroop. The Guyana Times makes you think that indeed we will never understand human beings.
On the masthead of the Guyana Times are the words – "the beacon of truth." But the Guyana Times hides the truth every day. Each day, the Guyana Times produces four published letters signed by people who hide their real names. That is 28 fictional signatures a week.
If the Guyana Times is the beacon of truth, let readers know the truth behind its letter writers' names. But most of all, even if the Guyana Times calls me a man-kisser, the Guyana Times has an obligation to its motto – the beacon of truth – to tell its readers who is the real man-kisser.
Posted by | August 31, 2014, 12:27 pm
Guyana has very serious economic, political and social challenges
Dear Editor,
Governments exist to do the things necessary to allow citizens the best quality of life and to make them happy. The need for security of the person and the State is paramount. The ability of the citizen to realize his or her full potential is among the highest needs in any civilized society. Several countries have captured this importance by establishing the Happiness Index. The state of mind of their citizens is measured by how happy they are. The government delivers all the support to allow for this. However, in Guyana, the minority PPP regime seems to do the exact opposite because they prefer to see the poor live in misery.
Guyana has very serious economic, political and social challenges. We are sure that each citizen now knows just how large the problems are. The country's productivity is dismally low and the currency is not stable. A vote on the no confidence motion is looming and instead the PPP takes it seriously, they are considering taking the issue to court. This is the most backward, primitive and oppressive regime in all of Latin America. If the PPP cabal does not know that a government has to resign and call new elections when a no confidence is passed against it, then they do not deserve to be in power. How foolish can they be? And for the DO-THING PRESIDENT to ask Brigadier Granger to return the weapons that were allegedly given to the PNC almost 40 years ago shows how incompetent this man is. He has not only disgraced Guyana but both him and Jagdeo are considered the two worst presidents in the history of Guyana.
This is a scenario that calls for the nation to rally against the corrupt and incompetent PPP regime which has been in power for 22 years and does not have a clue how to govern in the interests of all. There is no one in the Government who is capable of motivating the population. No one is telling the people the truth, and almost all of them are raping the treasury. The people are fed-up listening to their lying excuses and their propaganda stories. They are fed up with them taking from the poor and the working class and giving to their rich friends. The people are fed-up because they are being ignored by the PPP cabal who put their financial interests and those of their friends first and not the people and country.
During the 2011 elections campaign, the PPP told the people that if elected, it would create jobs for the youths and improve the lives of the poor and the working class. In the next breath, they have told the people that the economy is developing at five percent per year and revenues have increased fivefold and the debt has been drastically reduced. But the reality is the economy is developing at only 3.5 percent, the debt is growing larger by the day and they have not created or provided any jobs for the youths. The PPP regime continues to borrow as there is no tomorrow.
The PPP regime continues to act in an immoral and bullying manner. Just listen to the senseless comments from the Minister of Home Affairs. His statements have revealed how disconnected they are from the masses. We want Rohee to tell the people why his VISA was revoked by the U.S government; who was responsible for the extra-judicial murders of over 400 Guyanese and why he sidelined Assistant Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine two years ago. We want him to tell the people what happened to the $60 million that was to provide meals to the police during the 2011 elections.
These Freedom House GANGSTERS will never admit that UG has collapsed; the public hospitals are in dire need of drugs, nurses and qualified doctors; the public schools are without basic supplies, and the teachers, nurses and civil servants are paid slave-like wages. They continue to waste the taxpayers' money on projects where they have received huge kick-backs such as the Marriott Hotel, the Specialty Hospital and the building of a new airport. Why would they waste hundreds of millions of the taxpayers' money on the Rodney COI and not a dime to investigate how the former Agriculture Minister Sash Sawh was assassinated? Sash Sawh was one of their own and the fact that they have refused to investigate how he was killed is because it was alleged that they are the culprits.
And while all this is happening, the AFC is gaining in strength and popularity and is doing everything to rid the country of this corrupt regime. But the indecisive majority opposition, APNU huffs and puffs at the failures of the PPP regime but fails miserably to take decisive action against it. The Procurement Commission is not in existence. The Integrity Commission is not an independent entity and the DPP office is politically compromised and so is the judiciary, yet APNU has no strategic plan to deal with these issues.
After 22 years of PPP rule, the vast majority of Guyanese are not in a good mood, especially during the last pathetic 12 years of Jagdeo's misrule and the first three years of maladministration by the Ramotar gang. In almost every village in Guyana, the PPP is losing support to the AFC. As a result there is a growing sense of frustration and uneasiness among party leaders. They do not want Ramotar to be the next Presidential candidate for the PPP. This is very good news for Khemraj Ramjattan, Moses Nagamootoo and Nigel Hughes who have become the three most popular political leaders in Guyana. The PPP does not want an election now even if the government is defeated by the "no confidence" vote because they will receive a sound trashing from the electorate, including their own supporters. The people salute the AFC for going forward with the no confidence motion. They want those bastards out of office now.
Asquith Rose and Harish Singh
Posted by | September 1, 2014, 2:22 pm
Ramsammy denies '60,000 hectares' claims by Indian group … says agreement inked with Ministry has expired
August 30, 2014 | By KNews | Filed Under News
Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, has denied that his Ministry allocated more lands in the Canje Basin, or entered into any "new deals" with Indian conglomerate, Ajeenkya DY Patil.
This is in stark contradiction to what the company claims on its website.
The company claimed that it has been provided with a 99-year lease on 60,000 hectares of land located in the Canje Basin for a mega-farm. Moreso, they are claiming that the Government of Guyana will provide tax holidays, waive import and export duties, and provide exemption from local taxes.
The Ministry of Agriculture had initially stated that it had given approximately 10,000 hectares of land in the Canje Basin to the group for "mega farming." There have been no announcements by Government of any new arrangements.
On its website, the company said it was also able to acquire the rights to not only what is above the ground but below, a significant allowance, as it could pave the way for even mining taking place in the concession.
Ramsammy, in response yesterday, told Kaieteur News that he is "totally unaware" of the claims made by the conglomerate. The Minister has outrightly denied that he or his Ministry has given any more lands to the conglomerate.
"They are wrong…very wrong too…they first have to develop the 10,000 hectares which we had initially given to them." According to the Minister, the group has not started to do anything with the lands allocated.
He told Kaieteur News that DY Patil is expected to submit a proposal to his Ministry. Up to yesterday, the Minister said that the group had not done so. Moreover, with regards to the groups' claim that they were given "tax holidays, and a waiver on import and export duties, as well as exemption from local taxes," Dr. Ramsammy said that he is totally unaware of this.
The Minister made it clear that the group never asked for "these things", adding that they would not be given them if there is no proposal.
"I want to make it clear…the Ministry has nothing….no proposal, the MoU that was signed has even expired, and even if they go to GO-Invest they would be sent back to us since my Ministry has to pronounce on it." On the group's website, the Indian company stated that the Administration will provide a single window clearance for all approvals like visas for importing labour.
Further, Government will provide "sovereign guarantees" for successful funding of the project by international institutions.
The company went further. It said that Government agreed that it will support the building of a road along the East Bank of the Berbice River to the concession, and will also facilitate development of internal infrastructure in the area.
The group describes the project as a setup to an integrated agriculture business in Guyana.
"The Ajeenkya DY Patil Group is the main promoter of this project and has already entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Guyana," the group reported.
"With extensive experience and expertise of over 30 years in agriculture and related sectors, the group will bring solutions which will not only improve quality of agriculture produce, but also improve quality of life for Guyanese famers and will be complementary to the present agriculture system in Guyana."
The group is claiming that they would make investments which would create directly over 15,000 new jobs in the Canje and the Berbice River areas, when fully realized. It is estimated that another 5,000 jobs will be created indirectly, supporting almost 15,000-20,000 families (approx 50,000 Guyanese).
The ADYP Group said that it has been assured of an active support from Government in the development of this project through a public–private partnership model.
The Patil Group is currently building a university at Turkeyen.
Dnyandeo Yashwantrao 'DY' Patil, happens to also be Guyana's Honorary Consul in Mumbai, India. He and former President Bharrat Jagdeo both received Honorary Doctorates from Warwick University in London. After accepting that doctorate, Jagdeo received another from D Y Patil University.
This particular announcement by the Indian company would continue to raise questions over the manner Government has been going about in courting investors. In most cases, Guyanese only learn of details after the deal is done and in some cases, by chance.
Details of concessions have remained a closely guarded secret, with a number of investors, mainly Asians, including Chinese and Indian firms, in the spotlight.
Two companies, in particular, Chinese-owned Bai Shan Lin, and Vaitarna Holdings Private Inc., an Indian company, have been in the news for the generous concessions afforded them and several questionable arrangements with Government.
Posted by | September 1, 2014, 3:15 pm
Jagdeo/Sattaur plot to destroy Kaieteur News unearthed
Publisher of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, is in possession of incontrovertible evidence of a plot by former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, and Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur, to bring down Kaieteur News.
Confidential documentation, leaked to this publication, reveals that the Commissioner-General provided the former President with detailed tax information of a number of independent media houses in Guyana.tax – a a
The disclosure of the information by GRA's Commissioner-General to Jagdeo, represents a grave breach of the 'Oath of Secrecy' sworn to by Sattaur as an officer of the Guyana Revenue Authority, said one lawyer.
In taking the Oath, Sattaur solemnly declared that he would "truly, faithfully, impartially and honestly execute the powers vested in him."
He also swore that he would "judge and determine upon all matters and things before him without fear, affection, or malice".
And he swore, too, not to disclose any tax information concerning any taxpayer, but this has not been the case.
Both Jagdeo and Sattaur are fully aware of the impropriety of their action and as such Sattaur even acknowledged, in the documents, that Jagdeo is expected to treat the information with confidence, said the lawyer.
The documents would lift the lid off a few Government officials who have been insisting that all is right in Guyana and democracy is very much alive, he added.
Both Kaieteur News and Stabroek News have been on the receiving end of Government's anger over critical issues like corruption, value for money on projects, and local government elections.
This publication is of the firm view that former President Jagdeo is not entitled to receive financial or tax information of any taxpayer, let alone a private citizen, as it would be highly improper, and clearly a breach of regulations.
The information received revealed that Jagdeo advised Sattaur on "an impending major audit of the Kaieteur News" as a public ploy to defend the GRA and Sattaur against criticisms by the Kaieteur News.
There is strong indication, according to the documents seen by Kaieteur News, that the plot between Sattaur and Jagdeo was hatched after a news report a few weeks ago raised questions over the employment of three children of the Commissioner-General at GRA. The report had questioned whether it was proper.
Sattaur had also been highly defensive and upset with Kaieteur News and the private media, after questions were asked of GRA's role in granting Bai Shan Lin, a Chinese logging company that is being investigated by Parliament, tens of millions of dollars in duty free concessions.
When asked about details of the duty free concessions granted to Bai Shan Lin, Sattaur made it clear that the laws that are in place barred him from ever disclosing the information. He said that the matter was closed.
As such, the public was kept in the dark over those duty free concessions for high-end SUVs, like a Lexus, an Infiniti series, and even a number of luxury vans.
The granting of duty free concessions for vehicles pertaining to investments has to be relevant to the type of investment being made.
GRA remained silent on this and also how it granted the duty free concessions even before Bai Shan Lin was given permission to freely operate its concessions.
According to Kaieteur News's publisher, Glenn Lall, he is now even more convinced that certain members within the ruling People's Progressive Party/Civic and Government are determined to silence the voice of the independent media.
"The use of the Guyana Revenue Authority, a body to which members of the public entrust their most private information, as a weapon against the media is a dangerous development indeed, and a violation of press freedom…
"Kaieteur News is forced to ask what other tax information has not been compromised by Sattaur and Jagdeo?"
Lall opined that it is time for Sattaur to step down as Commissioner-General of GRA with an independent, criminal investigation launched to enquire the role played by Jagdeo, and to ensure that the tax agency is operating within its mandate.
"We also call on President Donald Ramotar to take steps to prevent Mr. Jagdeo from interfering further in his administration of the country," Lall said.
Posted by | September 21, 2014, 7:23 am
Sattaur addresses issue of plot to destroy Kaieteur News…
Kaieteur newspaper provides the evidence:
This EVIDENCE cannot be copied here per-verbatim to read. It has proprietary READ ONLY ENCODEMENT prohibition.
Posted by | September 22, 2014, 9:52 am
Dem crooks believe dem have a right to be wrong … and Guyana must follow dem
A man did seh that 'The man who keeps busy helping de man below him, won't have time to envy the man above him.'
That is A TRUE, TRUE story. But dem got some people who trying to kick down and kick out de man below dem. De man who like dig shit pun people got a woman below he who helping he fuh do dutty wuk and at de same time she helping sheself.
This is a woman who like nuff wig. She got different wig, shoes, hat and bag fuh go to wuk every day of de week. Dem boys hear that Donald put a man over this woman and under de man who like dig shit. Dem really vex because dem can't do as dem like and collect as dem like.
This is de woman who collect wrang information that she pass to she boss who then try fuh pressure people. She know de information wrang but de wickedness in she mek she pass on this information and innocent people deh in court today.
She collect other things too but all that gun done when de man tun on to wuk. She got to find another source fuh continue wid de lifestyle of changing wig, suit, hat, shoes and bag every day.
And dem boys hear that every day since last week she boss does wake up soon and sit down and watch de camera fuh see when de paper vendor coming.
Two days ago dem boys hear from a neighbor that he fed up watching de camera in he house suh he go and sit down pun de verandah and wait to see when de vendor coming.
Yesterday dem boys hear that he wake up more early and like he nah only fed up watching de camera and waiting in de verandah, he come out and go at de gate.
Dem boys seh is de evil and wicked things that he doing to hannest people that mek he can't sleep in de night.
Dem boys tell de neighbor that when dem boys done wid he, he gun get like Marks and he gun come to de Waterfalls paper and sit down and wait till de paper come off de press.
Dem boys seh that a peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; and greed is like cancer in the bones.' Greed does spread and it can destroy every relationship in your life.
It does poison yuh attitude by mekkin yuh compare yourself to others. It robs you of joy and contentment. You become ungrateful and self-centered.
De man who like dig shit is a greedy brute, just like de fat crook, de shaat scamp and Jagdeo and he Bees.
Some of dem suh greedy that dem does end up biting demself.
Dem boys know that God opposes the proud, but favors the humble. The proud are those who think the world revolves around them and dem can do wha dem feel like to it and in it . Dem really corrupt this nation and have no shame about it.
Dem believe that dem have a right to be wrong and dem want Guyana to follow that pattern.
Talk half and look out fuh de man at he gate tomorrow.
Posted by | September 21, 2014, 7:32 am
Dem boys seh…Dem Bees got obsession
Dem psychiatrist believe that everybody got some obsession. De Bees got an obsession wid money. Some of dem got obsession wid li'l girls and some wid li'l boys. Ask Kwame.
Some of dem like fancy car and some does buy fancy car. All of dem like big house but dem frighten jail. But dem boys seh that little do they know that de jail is de biggest house and accommodation is free because de taxpayers does pay.
Four of dem Bees go to a session fuh therapy because dem worried that everywhere dem go people pointing to dem and laughing. De doctor tell dem "You all have obsessions."
To the first one, Brazzy, he seh, "You are obsessed with eating. You've even named your daughter Candy."
He turned to de second one, Bobby, and seh," Your obsession is with money. Again, it manifests itself in your child's name, Penny."
He turned to the third one, Anil. "Your obsession is alcohol. This too shows itself in your child's name, Brandy."
At this point, de Rat get up, tek he nephew by the hand, and whispered, "Come on, Dick. This guy has no idea what he's talking about. Let's pick up Willy from school and go get to dinner."
Talk half and enjoy de breathing space while dem boys out drinking li'l Ciroc in 704.
Posted by | September 22, 2014, 10:22 am
Unparalleled Lawlessness
The news that the local five star Marriott Hotel has hit a snag in attracting the private investor financing component should not raise any eyebrows in this country. From the very start those in the know recognized that the pursuit by the shady, behind the scenes local investors, for what may well turn out to be a nightmare, was a not well-thought out decision.
The fact that a court matter regarding the use of public funds and land upon which the hotel is sited has not yet been heard aggravates an already contentious situation. The past revelations of monies being paid over for incomplete works which were later reassigned to another contractor for additional sums reek of impropriety.
The inaction that characterizes the Donald Ramotar administration's approach to these aberrations makes him look as the most inept national leader in this country's history. This is regrettable since it is common knowledge that he inherited a raft of cabinet colleagues, many whose only claim to fame was an obsequious willingness to please his predecessor.
There is no evidence to convince anyone that enough is being done at the parliamentary level to bring this undesirable situation of opaqueness and lack of accountability to a screeching halt. What people are seeing is a lawlessness that is unparalleled in this country's post-independence history. What some are conveniently ignoring is the fact that lawlessness breeds more of the same, and there is no guarantee that many will escape the consequences of their unlawful conduct.
The establishment of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) bears watching at this time and people should not fall prey to the belief that this body should have a breaking in period. For far too long the national psyche has been assaulted by an attitude of entitlement by those in power so much so that malfeasance in public office has become the order of the day. What will be interesting to observe is the degree of autonomy that the unit will be permitted to operate insofar as carrying out its mandate goes.
Maybe a page could be borrowed from the book of the Jamaican Financial Investigations Division (FID) which reportedly is investigating how officials have spent public monies on government contracts; the wealth of drug kingpins and their lawyers who facilitate the acquisition of real estate; and individuals who have amassed significant wealth.
The foregoing sounds all too familiar since those features predominate on the local scene. Therefore it would be a reasonable expectation that the head of the SOCU would have taken his bearings in addition to being briefed to determine his priorities in terms of focus.
Ideally the work of agencies like SOCU would be significantly bolstered if International Financial Institutions play a more oversight role on how their parent organisation's money is spent. But the seeming reluctance to engage in a more robust monitoring of financial behavior by resident envoys is a conscious refusal to incur the wrath of recipient governments, and who are wary of being accused of interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
Of course it would have been conveniently forgotten that the monies which form the loan or grant belong to the taxpayers of the donor countries who have every right to demand an accounting of how their taxes are being spent.
The zeal with which the Guyana Revenue Authority has been performing its duties against critics of the government is worthy of note, and it is to be expected that the Guyanese people would see more of the same enthusiasm when persons openly aligned to the administration are suspected of participating in a scam.
But maybe that is an unrealistic expectation judging from official inactivity or stymieing on matters involving the Minister of Finance; the Town Clerk and her bodyguard; implicated New Opportunity Corps staffers; the alleged molestation of boys at orphanages etc. These instances all speak to an almost vulgar acceptance of improper behavior that is observed and noted by the rest of the populace.
In the face of tacit approval for these increasingly pervasive acts of impropriety in high places it is no wonder that the moral values of the young and impressionable are being corrupted.
Posted by | September 22, 2014, 10:36 am
Evidence highlights Jagdeo/Sattaur plot to shutdown K/news … Jagdeo/Sattaur plot to destroy Kaieteur News unearthed …
Publisher of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, is in possession of incontrovertible evidence of a plot by former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, and Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur, to bring down Kaieteur News.
Confidential documentation, leaked to this publication, reveals that the Commissioner-General provided the former President with detailed tax information of a number of independent media houses in Guyana.tax – a a
The disclosure of the information by GRA's Commissioner-General to Jagdeo, represents a grave breach of the 'Oath of Secrecy' sworn to by Sattaur as an officer of the Guyana Revenue Authority, said one lawyer.
In taking the Oath, Sattaur solemnly declared that he would "truly, faithfully, impartially and honestly execute the powers vested in him."
He also swore that he would "judge and determine upon all matters and things before him without fear, affection, or malice".
And he swore, too, not to disclose any tax information concerning any taxpayer, but this has not been the case.
Both Jagdeo and Sattaur are fully aware of the impropriety of their action and as such Sattaur even acknowledged, in the documents, that Jagdeo is expected to treat the information with confidence, said the lawyer.
The documents would lift the lid off a few Government officials who have been insisting that all is right in Guyana and democracy is very much alive, he added.
Both Kaieteur News and Stabroek News have been on the receiving end of Government's anger over critical issues like corruption, value for money on projects, and local government elections.
This publication is of the firm view that former President Jagdeo is not entitled to receive financial or tax information of any taxpayer, let alone a private citizen, as it would be highly improper, and clearly a breach of regulations.
The information received revealed that Jagdeo advised Sattaur on "an impending major audit of the Kaieteur News" as a public ploy to defend the GRA and Sattaur against criticisms by the Kaieteur News.
There is strong indication, according to the documents seen by Kaieteur News, that the plot between Sattaur and Jagdeo was hatched after a news report a few weeks ago raised questions over the employment of three children of the Commissioner-General at GRA. The report had questioned whether it was proper.
Sattaur had also been highly defensive and upset with Kaieteur News and the private media, after questions were asked of GRA's role in granting Bai Shan Lin, a Chinese logging company that is being investigated by Parliament, tens of millions of dollars in duty free concessions.
When asked about details of the duty free concessions granted to Bai Shan Lin, Sattaur made it clear that the laws that are in place barred him from ever disclosing the information. He said that the matter was closed.
As such, the public was kept in the dark over those duty free concessions for high-end SUVs, like a Lexus, an Infiniti series, and even a number of luxury vans.
The granting of duty free concessions for vehicles pertaining to investments has to be relevant to the type of investment being made.
GRA remained silent on this and also how it granted the duty free concessions even before Bai Shan Lin was given permission to freely operate its concessions.
According to Kaieteur News's publisher, Glenn Lall, he is now even more convinced that certain members within the ruling People's Progressive Party/Civic and Government are determined to silence the voice of the independent media.
"The use of the Guyana Revenue Authority, a body to which members of the public entrust their most private information, as a weapon against the media is a dangerous development indeed, and a violation of press freedom…
"Kaieteur News is forced to ask what other tax information has not been compromised by Sattaur and Jagdeo?"
Lall opined that it is time for Sattaur to step down as Commissioner-General of GRA with an independent, criminal investigation launched to enquire the role played by Jagdeo, and to ensure that the tax agency is operating within its mandate.
"We also call on President Donald Ramotar to take steps to prevent Mr. Jagdeo from interfering further in his administration of the country," Lall said.
Sattaur addresses issue of plot to destroy Kaieteur News
On Sunday, Kaieteur News reported on what it said was a plot by Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Khurshid Sattaur, and former President Bharrat Jagdeo, to destroy the newspaper.
The news report prompted the following response from Sattaur.
Dear Editor,
Reference is made to various articles in Kaieteur newspaper edition of the 21/9 of which you are well undoubtedly aware.
There would appear to be a deliberate and orchestrated effort on the part of the paper and no doubt that of the owner/publisher of the newspaper to give maximum coverage to the ongoing legal proceedings involving the vehicles imported by remigrants but "loaned to the Lalls".
This can be construed as an apparent and continuing effort to influence the learned Chief Justice in his impending decision. This belief is further confirmed from the most naive reference made by the editor of the publication that "this matter is before the court and I am sure it will go nowhere".
Perhaps the editor of Kaieteur News can enlighten the public what is meant by this statement and if he is privy to information that is not in the public domain. The GRA is still of the firm belief that the matter will be heard and determined expeditiously and justice will prevail.
While this reference to a current court case and these unjustified and baseless statements may appear to the uninitiated to be innocuous, Mr. Harris should be seriously reprimanded by the Chief Justice for contempt. The statement that "nothing in the law that says a man cannot loan his vehicle" betrays the ignorance, misapprehension, misinterpretation of the law or represents a deliberate attempt by the publication to disseminate this misinformation to the reading public.
I am more inclined to believe it is the latter if you are to consider some of the misguided and grossly inaccurate information the publication has chosen to publish regarding the issue, as well as reckless and irresponsible behavior demonstrated by the KN.
Whilst the Income Tax laws make provision for certain tax information to be treated as confidential, there are several exceptions to this general rule. Specifically, under S4 of the Income Tax Act a disclosure to the state is not prohibited, a disclosure for the purposes of the administration of the Act is allowed and a disclosure to any person with the authorization of the president is permitted under the law. These exceptions are further extended by the Revenue Authority Act, Act No. 13 of 1996. Under S23 of this Act disclosure is further allowed in four instances:
a. a disclosure in the course of the persons duties
b. with the consent in writing by or on behalf of the Authority
c. when lawfully required to do so by an order of court
d. when required to do so under any law
S4(2) of the Income Tax Act provides as follows:
"S4(2)Every person having possession of or control over any documents, information, returns, or assessment lists or copies of those lists, relating to the income or items of income of anyone who at any time communicates or attempts to communicate that information, or anything contained in the documents, returns, lists or copies, to any person—
(a) other than a person to whom he is authorised by the President to communicate it; or
(b) otherwise than for the purposes of this Act, shall be guilty of an offence."
The law clearly provides that the President and the state are legally entitled to receive information on any taxpayer and empowers the President to authorise the disclosure of any such information to any person(s). This privilege has been enshrined in the statutes.I can assure the Kaieteur News and the general public that all taxpayer information is treated with the strictest confidence and any disclosure is made lawfully in keeping with the laws of Guyana.
This supposed revelation of a plot to destroy the KN is nothing but an apparent attempt by the Newspaper's publisher to forestall any audit the GRA may wish to undertake of the tax affairs of the KN which may uncover irregularities, tax evasion, tax avoidance, fraud etc. It is an attempt to intimidate the GRA and its officers from discharging their statutory duties and functions by suggesting that any audit of the KN is malicious and vindictive. It is with regret that I must inform you that the GRA cannot abdicate it's statutory mandate in light of spurious and baseless conjecture. Indeed it compels the GRA to action since these actions belie the fact the KN has an interest in preventing an audit by the Revenue a clear indicator of fraud and the need for an investigation.
I will not respond to your baseless and unfounded accusations in various articles that I was responsible for providing the Chronicle with the damaging information concerning the falsifying of documents on tax frauds allegedly perpetrated by KN and it's Publisher. These statements are defamatory and I have instructed my Attorneys to institute legal proceedings against the KN and it's publisher. These defamatory statements and issues pertaining thereto will be fully ventilated in the impending legal action.
In the circumstances the KN, it's Editor and Publisher would be well advised to:
1. Acquaint themselves with the provisions of the Tax laws particularly the provisions that prohibit the disclosure of confidential taxpayer information and the exceptions to this general rule;
2. Familiarise themselves with the provisions and process relating to the grant of remigrant status/duty concessions and the conditions attendant thereto, particularly the numerous potential sources the information allegedly 'leaked' could have originated from;
3. Be informed that the Kaieteur News and it's publisher are subject to the Laws of Guyana like any other citizen;
4. Be reminded that the Commissioner General or the GRA cannot be intimidated into abandoning a statutorily empowered audit and will not be so intimidated.
Despite these unfounded attacks, threats, attempts at manipulation and intimidation the GRA, myself and officers will remain professional in our conduct and execution of our duties towards all citizens of Guyana.
K Sattaur
Commissioner- General
Here is the evidence collected by Kaieteur News
This e-mail correspondence between Bharrat Jagdeo and GRA's Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur, has been redacted to comply with the Laws of Guyana
From: khurshid sattaur (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Sent: Mon 9/15/14 12:18 PM
To: Nandalall (email@example.com)
Dear AG
I provided the former President with information which I would expect he treats with the utmost confidentiality. Since we are in this thing together, I see no harm in sharing this with you. However further to the assurances you have given me that the Government will be pursuing the newspaper for libel and other offences of a criminal nature, I will await the determination of such action before I provide you with the details on Kaieteur News. Of course I am deeply indebted to the Government for the confidence it places in me to continue to execute my duties as CG.
I spoke with the honorable BJ and he suggested that the recent outrageous article published on me should for "media purposes" be attributed to the impending major audit of the Kaieteur News which in his usual irregular and surreptitious manner the newspaper was able to uncover.
Please note however, unless there is a major gag order from the court with a threat of maximum imprisonment I am not prepared to have this most recent proposed action made public. This as they say in proverbial language is likely to break the camel's back and the individual may go berserk
All for your information and necessary action
K Sattaur
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
Posted by | September 23, 2014, 7:50 am
GRA tax boss breaches "Oath of Secrecy"…Khurshid Sattaur should resign immediately – AFC ,,,
– Rohee can't say if Govt. is concerned about his actions
In light of damning evidence provided by this newspaper which shows the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur, sending tax information on several independent media entities to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, the Alliance For Change (AFC) has made a strong call for his immediate resignation of Khurshid Sattaur, GRA boss.
Kaieteur News on Sunday last stated that its Publisher, Glenn Lall, is in possession of indisputable evidence of a plot by Jagdeo and Sattaur, to bring down the newspaper. The same day Sattaur issued a statement denying the plot and contending that he had a right to share information with the Head of State.
The evidence put forward by this publication were emails between Sattaur and Jagdeo which were then shared with the Attorney General Anil Nandlall. Sattaur via email sent information on the corporation tax income of several media houses to Jagdeo and then to Nandlall.
According to some lawyers, the information disclosed by the GRA Commissioner-General to Jagdeo, represents a grave breach of the 'Oath of Secrecy' sworn to by Sattaur as an officer of the Guyana Revenue Authority.
In taking the Oath, Sattaur solemnly declared that he would "truly, faithfully, impartially and honestly execute the powers vested in him." He also swore not to disclose any tax information concerning any taxpayer.
In the email written by Sattaur, he asserts that Jagdeo advised him to say that "an impending major audit of the Kaieteur News" was behind the publication's criticisms of him.
Asked whether the government is at all concerned by the actions committed by the tax chief, General Secretary of the People's Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee said that he would not be able to answer any question on the issue.
At his weekly press conference, yesterday, Rohee said that after working with his ministry for several years, he has developed a rather "suspicious mind" and when he saw the disclosure of the information by this newspaper it reminded him of a similar incident which took place in Trinidad and Tobago.
Khemraj Ramjattan, AFC Leader
The authenticity of the email came into question in that episode, he said, adding that he is left with no choice but to question the same in this case.
"I don't know how credible those emails are. There are so many concoctions and fabrications floating around this country and in this political season such as the $30M allegation, where it was said that Government would buy off three opposition parliamentarians to vote against the no-confidence motion. So I don't know. I really can't answer that question."
Rohee was then reminded of how prompt the government was in addressing that allegation when it came from the opposition as it had done on other occasions. He was subsequently asked why government, or any of its arms, particularly the GRA, has been silent thus far, considering their usual mode when it comes to such revelations.
"In the case of the $30M issue, there was a direct allegation to the party and the government about this matter, but in the case of the Kaieteur News expose, it has nothing to do with the PPP."
Yesterday, Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan said that the emails between Sattaur and Jagdeo reflect a fundamental departure of the oath to confidentiality taken by Sattaur. The AFC Leader said that Sattaur should have never given such information to Jagdeo who is not known as any legal advisor to him.
"As far as I am concerned and from what I was told, President Donald Ramotar never authorized Sattaur to give that information to Jagdeo. I wish to remind that Jagdeo is a private citizen and has no authority whatsoever, under the law or otherwise, to request the tax information of any person of business.
"As such, this kind of behavior from such a senior person, Sattaur, is just utterly outrageous. When I knew Sattaur he started out with all intentions of being professional, but he has allowed himself to lose that quality. I know the Kaieteur News can be unrelenting and it can be hard on you sometimes, but that does not give you the right in this democracy to lash back at the newspaper in the most cruel and sickening manner," Ramjattan asserted.
The politician insisted that in a normal democracy, Sattaur needs to learn to take criticisms and respond in an impartial manner, and not in one that causes him to sacrifice the commitment he made to uphold the principles of his office.
He said that Sattaur's actions have only served to bring the office of the Guyana Revenue Authority into disrepute and as such he is calling on him to do the only "just" thing and resign.
Ramjattan added, "The members of the board at the Guyana Revenue Authority should also demand his resignation, for it cannot be stated enough that his actions were not only unethical but immoral. And just to think, he ran to Jagdeo for advice on how to deal with Kaieteur News, a man who is known for being malicious and vindictive.
"I would have understood if he went for advice from the Attorney General, but then again… This whole situation with Sattaur is quite unfortunate for him, his office and his staff who were looking up to him."
The AFC said that it is aghast at the shocking revelations by Kaieteur News with regard to the targeting of independent media by the GRA, seemingly under the direction of forces external to the entity.
The party said that it has been in receipt of various complaints of activities of this nature and had for some time held suspicions that independent media houses and businesses which are not viewed as subservient to the "authorities" have been unfairly targeted for investigations.
As the plot thickens, the AFC noted that Kaieteur News has unearthed what appears to be irrefutable evidence which shows clearly the scandalous levels of "a seemingly highly orchestrated illegal and vile campaign by the government."
The AFC said that it is specifically horrified that there appears to be involvement and collusion on the part of the Attorney General.
It posited, too, that this scandalous, appalling and deliberate breach of the public trust and, importantly, of the Revenue Authority Act, represents a most sickening and foul act perpetrated on the people of Guyana. It concluded that this revelation brings to the attention of the nation that every citizen and every business is at risk of being targeted and shut down.
Considering the evidence produced by this publication, the AFC made several calls. Apart from its call for the resignation of the tax chief, it called for a thorough, independent investigation on the matter and for the law to take its full course.
It called, too, for President Ramotar to immediately withdraw the Attorney General from heading the Guyana delegation which is scheduled to meet with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force's America Region Reviewing Group at the end of the month in Miami.
As for bodies such as the Private Sector Commission, the media and all non-governmental organizations, it called on them to publicly and unequivocally condemn these frightening and terrifying revelations. The party noted that it is currently gathering information and will shortly convene a management meeting to discuss the party's course of action in ensuring that citizens "are rid of this atrocious and horrendous cancer."
The party commended the editor and publisher of Kaieteur News for displaying the fortitude, resilience and bravery in bringing the evidence to the public, at the risk of further intimidation and victimization.
Posted by | September 24, 2014, 9:03 am
Plot to destroy Kaieteur News…Sattaur remains mum on e-mail revelations
Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur, is in no way fazed by the calls for his resignation or articles published against him. He contends that whatever he does is covered in law.
Sattaur, during an interview, yesterday, maintained that whatever he does in the execution of his duties is covered in law and as such he has nothing to hide or to be afraid of.
Asked whether he denies that he did in fact share tax information of privately owned media houses with the former President Bharrat Jagdeo, Sattaur said, "No comment."
Sattaur announced, too, that he is getting a lawyer to deal with the matter in court.
According to Sattaur, he is building a case against the Kaieteur News and its publisher Glenn Lall.
Sattaur said that he is in possession of a recorded conversation between himself and Lall. The contents of the conversation will not be published or shared but rather will be tendered as evidence in the court, he said.
Sattaur claims that Lall called him and threatened to expose him.
According to Sattaur, whatever he has done in the course of his duty had been within the confines of the law.
"Let them dig more and write what they want…Let them write it in 'dem boys'," said Sattaur.
This publication on Sunday last, published a redacted email sent from Sattaur to Jagdeo, where he divulged tax information of several privately-owned media houses.
In another email, this time with Attorney General Anil Nandlall, Sattaur informed him that he had provided the former President with "information which I would expect he treats with the utmost confidentiality."
According to the email, Sattaur informs Nandlall that "since we are in this thing together, I see no harm in sharing this with you. However, further to the assurances you have given me that the Government will be pursuing the newspaper for libel and other offences of a criminal nature, I will await the determination of such action before I provide you with the details on Kaieteur News. Of course I am deeply indebted to the Government for the confidence it places in me to continue to execute my duties as CG."
Glenn Lall. He is further quoted as saying "I spoke with the honourable BJ and he suggested that the recent outrageous article published on me should for "media purposes" be attributed to the impending major audit of the Kaieteur News which in his usual irregular and surreptitious manner the newspaper was able to uncover….Please note however, unless there is a major gag order from the court with a threat of maximum imprisonment, I am not prepared to have this most recent proposed action made public…This as they say in proverbial language is likely to break the camel's back and the individual may go berserk."
Sattaur had sought to defend his actions saying that while the Income Tax laws make provision for certain tax information to be treated as confidential, there are several exceptions to this general rule.
Specifically, under S4 of the Income Tax Act a disclosure to the state is not prohibited, a disclosure for the purposes of the administration of the Act is allowed and a disclosure to any person with the authorization of the president is permitted under the law. These exceptions are further extended by the Revenue Authority Act, Act No. 13 of 1996. Under S23 of this Act disclosure is further allowed in four instances.
Checks with Office of the President revealed that there was no such request by Head of State, Donald Ramotar.
Ever since the damning revelations at least one political party has called for Sattaur's resignation as the head of GRA.
According to some lawyers, the information disclosed by the GRA Commissioner-General to Jagdeo, represents a grave breach of the 'Oath of Secrecy' sworn to by Sattaur as an officer of the Guyana Revenue Authority.
In taking the Oath, Sattaur solemnly declared that he would "truly, faithfully, impartially and honestly execute the powers vested in him." He also swore not to disclose any tax information concerning any taxpayer.
The ruling People's Progressive Party, would want to ensure the authenticity of the emails first.
Posted by | September 25, 2014, 8:52 am
Plot to destroy Kaieteur News…Who authorised release of tax information to 'BJ'? – asks Ramjattan
Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur, has corroborated reports in other sections of the media that the entity he heads, intends to file criminal charges against Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall, his wife, Bhena, family friends, Narootandeo Brijnanan and his wife, Gharbassi along with their son, Navin.
The proposed charges stem from the importation of two Lexus vehicles by the Brijnanans, and used occasionally by Lall and his wife Bhena as part of their security detail.
Sattaur during a telephone interview with this publication, yesterday, said that the matter is currently engaging the attention of his attorney, whose name he refused to divulge.
He has already sued for libel using R. Satram, C.V. Satram and Mahendra Satram.
He has accused Lall of waging a vendetta against him and as such would be taking the matter to the courts.
Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, when contacted yesterday said that it was the GRA that enforces the Customs Act, which he believes is the relevant legislation under which any charges would be filed.
Attorney-at-Law, Khemraj Ramjattan, however is not so confident about Sattaur filing any charges against Lall.
According to Ramjattan – who has already called for Sattaur's resignation – the Commissioner General may be hesitant to follow through with any such charges.
Ramjattan, who has represented Kaieteur News, said that he did not want to make too many pronouncements at this stage, since no charges have been filed, and as such he is unaware of the specific allegations being made against Lall and others.
He said that what he does know is that should the Commissioner General actually file charges, then he, Sattaur, will be made to testify.
According to Ramjattan, Sattaur will then be forced to tell the court who authorized the release of the tax information on several privately-owned media houses and who authorized that he share it with 'BJ.'
He was of course making reference to the former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, and emails purportedly sent by Sattaur to the former President and sitting Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.
According to at least one of Sattaur's emails published by Kaieteur News, Sattaur informed Nandlall that he had provided the former President with "information which I would expect he treats with the utmost confidentiality."
This publication on Sunday last, published a redacted email sent from Sattaur to Jagdeo, where he, Sattaur, divulged tax information of several privately-owned media houses.
According to the email, Sattaur informs Nandlall that "since we are in this thing together, I see no harm in sharing this with you. However, further to the assurances you have given me that the Government will be pursuing the newspaper for libel and other offences of a criminal nature, I will await the determination of such action before I provide you with the details on Kaieteur News. Of course I am deeply indebted to the Government for the confidence it places in me to continue to execute my duties as CG."
Sattaur had sought to defend his actions by saying that while the Income Tax laws make provision for certain tax information to be treated as confidential, there are several exceptions to this general rule.
Specifically, under S4 of the Income Tax Act, a disclosure to the state is not prohibited, a disclosure for the purposes of the administration of the Act is allowed and a disclosure to any person with the authorization of the president is permitted under the law. These exceptions are further extended by the Revenue Authority Act, Act No. 13 of 1996. Under S23 of this Act disclosure is further allowed in four instances.
Checks with Office of the President revealed that there was no such request by Head of State, Donald Ramotar.
In relation to the proposed charges promised by Sattaur, he had told this publication that he is building a case against the Kaieteur News and its publisher Glenn Lall.
Sattaur said that he is in possession of a recorded conversation between himself and Lall. The contents of the conversation will not be published or shared but rather will be tendered as evidence in the court, he said.
Posted by | September 26, 2014, 1:02 pm
Front Page comment
Since its formation, the Kaieteur News has stood faithfully by the Guyanese people. The paper has stoutly defended your rights and freedoms; it has exposed the pressures brought to bear on certain businesses in Guyana and the favouritism given to others.
It has unearthed plots orchestrated against enemies of the government; reported on the evil of criminal gangs that once lay siege to our country; shared the pain of those whose relatives and loved ones fell victim to these gangs, and laid bare the identities and schemes of the carpetbaggers who fleece the public purse.
Kaieteur News has been the voice of the voiceless, a shield against injustice and an ever-vigilant watchdog against capriciousness, falsehoods and rapacious corruption. For this stance, a high price was paid. Our printery was firebombed, our pressmen cold-bloodedly murdered, our access to government advertisements restricted, our building placed under surveillance, threats were leveled against our editor and publisher and their names scandalized on political platforms. There was even a call for businesses to boycott this newspaper.
At the highest levels, plans were hatched to deal with Kaieteur News. Now there is a plan to muzzle and destroy this newspaper and its publisher.
This latest plot is because of exposés of corruption in high places. As a result, plans have been hatched to use the power of the State and State institutions to crush Kaieteur News and to jail its publisher.
Trumped-up charges have been prepared against the publisher. We are in receipt of information that more sinister plots are being concocted against him and this newspaper. We know, also, the architects behind these plots and shall make public their identities in due time.
These attacks on our newspaper, its editor and publisher, are attacks on what we stand for: the right to free expression and the right to defend the patrimony of our country and secure the future of each of our citizens.
As we confront this evil plot to destroy this newspaper, we once again urge you, the Guyanese people, to rally behind us. Evil can only be resisted by the united front of the Guyanese people. We call on all the political parties, trade unions, the Guyana Bar Association, the religious community, the Guyana Press Association, other civil society groupings and you the citizens to rally by the side of Kaieteur News.
We have always stood by your side. All we ask today is that you stand by us as we face this insidious persecution. We shall fight the good fight as always. And as we do so, we would be pleased to know that we have you, the Guyanese people, in our corner.
Posted by | October 5, 2014, 7:15 am
Joint Opposition stands firm with Kaieteur News against Sattaur's "devious" attacks
"We want to put the government and Sattaur on notice that we will not sit idly by and watch them violate the rights of citizens"- General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon and the Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan.
In the face of what he described as former president Bharrat Jagdeo and tax chief, Khurshid Sattaur's "devious" attacks to destroy Kaieteur News, General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon, has said that the newspaper will have his coalition's "unwavering support in the fight for democracy against the powers that may be".
The Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday also issued a statement in which it expressed dissatisfaction over the dilemma.
Over the past weeks, several email between Jagdeo and Sattaur which exposed their apparent plot to "close down" the newspaper hit the news pages. Sattaur had sent the former president the tax information of several news entities. This information was then forwarded to Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.
Many have said that it is, without a doubt, an undeniable breach of the Oath of Secrecy that was taken by the Chartered Accountant. Calls since the revelations by this newspaper have been unending for Sattaur's immediate resignation.
In light of the publications of the damning evidence, comments from political figures, accountants, lawyers and even the ordinary man have followed, particularly on how the Parliament and even institutions to which the tax chief is attached should deal with him.
Harmon said yesterday that his coalition considers Sattaur's actions to be a most "sickening and frightening prospect for the people of Guyana".
"The APNU views Sattaur's behaviour as not only an attack on the Kaieteur News but a clear disrespect and disregard for the Constitutional rights of citizens to access information. We will stand firm by the Kaieteur News.
"We want to put the government and Sattaur on notice that we will not sit idly by and watch them violate the rights of citizens. The government's inaction in light of Sattaur's behaviour reflects full support of such scales of lawlessness by public officials," The APNU executive member expressed.
Harmon stated that Sattaur's actions clearly leave the natýon's tax information open for "abuse at any time".
The APNU parliamentarian said, too, that once the Customs and Excise Tax Department in any country is breached, its trade and commerce, the heart beat of its economic life, is in jeopardy.
AFC, at a meeting yesterday to plan for General Elections next year, also addressed the situation regarding Kaieteur News.
The party said, "The meeting also expressed solidarity with Kaieteur News which is being subjected to attempts to muzzle it as a member of the free press."
Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes, recently stated that he believes that the National Assembly should address with urgency the breach of the "Oath of Secrecy" by the Commissioner General.
It has always been the suspicion, since independence, that the tax department has been used as an instrument in which citizens have been threatened if they criticize the administration, he said.
"But now, we have confirmation that the department has made itself available to the Government of the day for use against the citizenry and that is really the most frightening aspect of it. I believe because of this magnitude, the
Parliament needs to address this as a matter of urgency," Hughes stated.
He made reference to the powers of the GRA, one being the ability to forfeit one's assets and the fact it is responsible for taxing the entire Judiciary. He said that if one were to contemplate the powers of the Tax Chief, it certainly underscores the need for the Parliament to address his behaviour in light of the revelations.
Hughes then added that Sattaur's actions to close down one of the prominent members of the fourth estate, Kaieteur News, in such a manner is an issue that the Parliament ought to address as a matter of grave importance.
AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan had also said that the party has already begun sharing its views with the diplomatic community.
Ramjattan had said that his party plans to send the information to organizations such as CARICOM, the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
He said that this was being done to externalize the kind of misconduct that is being condoned by "top notch administrators" in Guyana.
Posted by | October 5, 2014, 7:20 am
Jagdeo/Sattaur plot unveiled…K/News invited to file report on tax chief – Accounting regulators
Considering the "irrefutable evidence in his possession," local accounting regulators of the Institute of Chartered
Khurshid Sattaur, GRA Boss
Accountants of Guyana (ICAG) are inviting the Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, to lodge a formal complaint against Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur, who is a member of that association.
The ICAG said that it stands for transparency and accountability and it takes accusations of breach of professional ethics by its members seriously.
Over the past weeks, Kaieteur News published several email between the former president, Bharrat Jagdeo, and Sattaur which exposed their apparent plot to "close down" the Kaieteur Newspaper.
The ICAG is the body responsible for the regulation of the accounting profession in Guyana under the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana Act 1991. It is a public interest body whose objectives include the promotion and increase of the proficiency of its members and regulation of the conduct of its members.
The ICAG is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC), the regional, while monitoring is conducted by the ACCA.
Council members of the ICAG said that the Kaieteur News or any member of the public, for that matter, is free to file a complaint against any of its members believed to be unjust in their profession.
The members explained that every affiliate of the Institute is required to respect the confidentiality of information acquired.
Kaieteur News was informed that once the report is made to the Institute, an investigation would be launched for the gathering of the necessary evidence. Once that aspect is completed, the relevant disciplinary action would be taken.
"While the council has taken note of the email published by the Kaieteur News, it is not protocol for us to just start an investigation on one of our members without a basis.
"The most suitable basis for us is an official complaint and Kaieteur News is free to do that. It is not normal for the institute to go after its members and there has never been something like this before on Sattaur and we would invite Mr. Lall to make a report and bring the evidence he has.
"With his evidence, the investigations would certainly go smoother," one member of the Institute said.
The ICAG associate said, "It is rare that we have got complaints or reports about the political figures attached to our organization. But I think it should be made clear that we operate with integrity and we are for transparency.
"The international body which would monitor and check on us from time to time is the ACCA. So have no fear about the assessments that will be done for they help in ensuring impartiality is maintained. If a report is made, it is always taken seriously."
On the ACCA website, it said that members of the ACCA are required to observe proper standards of professional conduct. It said that the ACCA will take disciplinary action against its members, firms and registered students where there is evidence of a sufficiently serious failure to observe those standards.
It was also stated that once ACCA receives a complaint, it may decide to proceed with its investigation, despite a later request by the complainant for it to be withdrawn.
If a complaint results in a Disciplinary Committee hearing, the accuser may be required to give evidence. These hearings are generally conducted in public, meaning that anyone may attend, including you, the member and the press.
Sattaur had sent the former president the tax information of several entities. This information was then forwarded to Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.
Many have said that it is without a doubt, an undeniable breach of the Oath of Secrecy that was taken by the Chartered Accountant. Calls have been unending for Sattaur's immediate resignation.
In light of the publications of the email, comments from political figures, accountants, lawyers and even the ordinary man have followed, particularly on how the Parliament and even institutions to which the tax chief is attached should deal with him.
Earlier this week, for example, letter writers explained that the GRA, like any other tax authority, is legally obligated to protect confidential tax information of others.
As Kaieteur News continues to expose the interactions between Sattaur and Jagdeo, the letter writers said that it would appear that the GRA is leaking protected information.
They reminded that this is a dangerous development, and as Moses Nagamootoo, the Vice Chairman of the
Alliance For Change (AFC) highlighted, "possibly the worst crime in modern Guyana".
They opined that as a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Mr. Sattaur ought to know he is duty bound professionally to "respect the confidentiality of information acquired as a result of professional relationships and shall not disclose such information to third parties without proper legal authority (such an order of the court)".
"It is just professionally incompetent and reckless to provide a private citizen in the person of Jagdeo with confidential tax information on other parties, especially those for whom he has a dislike," one accountant said.
"How can we be sure now that bandits in Guyana are now not in receipt of the taxable income of the citizens from agents in the GRA which then forms the database of who to attack for robbery and who not to attack?"
They are of the belief that the integrity of the GRA is now under question, since its leader has been less than straightforward and "appears to be extremely dishonest in his dealings with the public".
The general view is that Sattaur should step down from office and allow his deputy to conduct the affairs of the GRA until he can be fully investigated in light of strong allegations of conflict of interest and improper professional behaviour.
Posted by | October 5, 2014, 7:24 am
Bharrat Who? Some Jagdeo legacies — And Opposition Responses(?)
I know that I have had cause to express my curious appreciation of those columnists and dedicated letter writers – based in Georgetown and overseas – who, virtually, daily, lambaste Bharrat Jagdeo, his heirs and wannabes, most relentlessly with a view to regime change.
(I wouldn't know how to do it with such pointed frequency, even though I have nothing against those gentlemen's ultimate success.)
Incidentally "when yuh own louse bite yuh…" Research how many of today's harshest, most strident critics were once in the same room with the matured Donald and young Bharrat. And silly me! Why do I keep wondering what would have been happening today if Moses or Ralph Hari Narayen had secured the PPP/C vote for Presidential nominee?
Perhaps my latter personal puzzle is the motivation for returning to what was, by around 1995, the Bharrat Jagdeo enigma. Along with the phenomenon of how, with electric swiftness, to the chagrin of his comradely seniors, the relative enigma became profound reality! With indelible consequences for his own party and our own country. (Recall too my sustained wonderment with regard to normally upright persons of ability, values and integrity, serving a regime who stole the people's will for years.)
Bharrat Who?
Young Bright Burnham returned to British Guiana just in time to be embraced by Young Cheddi Jagan, only to swiftly become Jagan's relentless nemesis. Old PPP knowledgeables still around would recall Burnham's political acumen, inclusive of the "race-card" dealt to him, between '53, '55 and '57. Fast-forward to '92, '95, '97.
Out of the political blue arrived a young Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) East Coast Demerara member; briefly a school teacher who went to Moscow to become an economist, returned to work with the PNC's Haslyn Parris at the State Planning Secretariat, then emerged after the PPP/C returned to government near the end of 1992.
Like Cheddi his mentor, he had a rustic charm, deceptive smile and, privately, vast ambition. The latter fuelled by the Jagans – especially Comrade Janet.
Travelling with Cheddi and Senior Finance Minister Asgar Ally, young Soviet-trained Bharrat enjoyed a relatively brief apprenticeship before becoming full Finance Minister after the 1997 elections. Cheddi had passed on months before in '97. But young Bharrat was moving forward. Like lightning!
I could not agree with the nastiness on the streets when Comrade Joe Hamilton, Aubrey and other PNC "militants" demonized Janet Jagan after the 1997 Elections. Say what you like she was a political Amazon.
Like Comrade Carberry I didn't care about her being my President. She succumbed to the pressure of the streets and law courts and failing health.
Recall, then the unprecedented, governmental musical chairs organized by Comrade Janet: Young Jagdeo was made Prime Minister, President Jagan resigned. Prime Minister Jagdeo became President and re-appointed Samuel Hinds as P.M. all in four or five days! All politically vulgar, but constitutionally acceptable.
President Jagdeo, role and legacies
Manufactured and Readymade! Made in Janetland! My Guyana had her Bharrat as President of our Republic. I understood the hurt of such loyal "Cheddi Children" as Reepu, Moses, Navin, Clement, Ralph, even Roger and Robeson.
Look, even I, who had grown weary of my erstwhile PNC strategies and excesses, looked forward to what this baggage-less new Kid-on-the Political Block (literally a "kid"!) would offer.
I wrote about the "new Bharrat" as, mistakenly, many thought Cheddi was "a Bharrat" once. I did a whole newspaper supplement on his first 100 days. Such hope as he posed with Linden's Afro-Girl students! Swiftly, President Jagdeo shed his masks and, Putin-like, even did some Forbes Burnham-like things. He seemingly made his Party secondary. He grasped Presidential and Constitutional authority. At his swearing-in he said Cde Janet would "always be (his) President". Later he would describe her as "an ordinary citizen sharing her views". There was venomous aggression against both Party and external critics. Old Cheddi stalwarts were immobilized, co-opted, hushed or evicted.
Enter the Real Jagdeo!
Unlike other more hostile commentators and political analysts, I can't ignore the strengths and positives of leaders. However temporary, strategic or meant to deceive.
Mr Jagdeo did steady and sustain an erratic exchange rate – – even if his parallel market had something to do with that; he did seek out a more robust continental foreign initiative with Venezuela (Chavez), Brazil (Lula) and Suriname (the Doubtful Desi); Jagdeo did attempt massive infrastructural works – – even if many contractors never built dreams before; he withstood a five-year crime wave, eventually getting the murderous gang; he catapulted Guyana onto the Global Climate Change/Forest Preservation Map and he was a Master of Showpieces – ICC World Cup at new Stadium, Carifesta 10 and Jamzones many.
His loyalists of the current new PPP recently responded to a litany of his failed Presidency by presenting their own Super List of his Achievements – from the Law-of-the-Sea triumph over Suriname's claim to his weathering the international financial meltdown. Good for them. But really, how will Bharrat be remembered? Not because of what people write and assess, but by the thousands of poverty-challenged citizens of this Blighted Land?
A powerful, petulant, President's (PPP) Legacy?
Jagdeo was masterful in having the selected Ramotar declare that, as President, he (Ramotar) would "continue" the policies of Jagdeo. Great for Bharrat, Catastrophe for our poor and powerless.
Frankly Speaking, to me, this lad from the fishing village of Unity, now known by the UN, Caricom, South America and the world, succumbed to the virus of unmitigated power, power that immobilised even successive bright intellectual opposition(s).
From Virgin Lands, Guysuco's retired acreages; the so-called "Commanding Heights of the Economy", the Private Sector, Investment Opportunities and Parliament, to even the electronic spectrum, Jagdeo channelled to his buddies. Using from nepotism, new legal entities, fronts, sleight-of-hand to retroactive legislation.
Frankly Speaking, young Bharrat made young Black Professional Persons seem like either an endangered species – or extinct. His is a powerful "legacy" of Indo-names in every sphere of authority, power, status and public life.
Sadly, even if not of his doing, under his watch sugar collapsed, crime and cocaine reigned, extra-judicial killings soared, greed submerged even sport, institutions were compromised and national morality plummeted as thousands fled and his own folks also suffered. And still suffer. Now add your List.
What is to be done?
The perennial question! What have been the Opposition responses to the Jagdeo legacy since he departed from Office but not from influence?
Unfortunately I'll have to return to this as time and space shackle me here. (Just don't ask Chris Ram that question). To me the Ramotar fellows – and Madame Gail – have done a fine job to stymie any effective measures the Brigadier's Opposition have mounted. The Administration has used judicial challenges and delays to a fine art.
Budget challenges are by-passed, contracts are awarded like ice-cream and the PPP/C boys are rewarding themselves for any eventualities. Hail now the AFC's No-Confidence motion! But wait! What's in store for the Opposition? Stay connected.
*1) Old PPP fellows tell me they get Bharrat livid by telling him that – "is you mansion and pension mek we lose de majority. What America, Britain and de PNC fail at you manage to do!"
Til next week!
Posted by | October 5, 2014, 7:33 am
Fenty definitely got the muse
A brief comment on A. A. Fenty's Frankly Speaking – "Bharrat Who? Some Jagdeo legacies" (SN August 29th). I like people who exercise independence of thought, of desperately endeavouring to be authentic, seeing through their very own eyes and more importantly being open and fearless in stating their views contrary to general opinion – swimming against the tide as one would say. It is somewhat admirable.
I recall my days at school, there were four friends in my class who were the "bright boys". They got almost everything correct, they sat together and often worked in collaboration, as a team, and invariably came up with same answers, except for one who frequently would have a different working or approach and so different results from them.
I always admired him for that – till to this day; with all the stars, attention and praises that were showered on them it never got under his skin, he remained true to himself and worked his mind independently. I will have to, someday whenever we meet, tell him.
For me it does the personality very little good, if any, blindly following the pack for the sake of being liked, keeping in step with popular opinion – "all ah we is wan-same thing". No genuine person does that, but if per say an individual for whatever reason was made to bend to popular consensus without fully being convinced: while on the outside he/she may be able to deceive, the same can hardly be said to be happening on the inside. For most genuine people it's too big a pill to swallow, the conscience doesn't work that way, it sure changes and cheapens the personality, like the loss of one's fingerprint which is what stands us out as unique, our stamp of individuality our idiosyncrasy
Now to "Frankly Speaking". To begin with, for me this presentation was a good one, I like the way the past events were synthesized – nice creative phrasing and paragraphs, so crafty and amusing. Quite a bit of recall, of bringing back – "hey yuh can remember when…. "which some don't ever like, it tingles the nerves, make them real uneasy, like "corabetty" ants crawling all over yuh".
Here's a slice that was bitter, distasteful: "………unprecedented, governmental musical chairs organised by Comrade Janet: young Jagdeo was made Prime Minister, President Jagan resigned. Prime Minister Jagdeo became President and reappointed Samuel Hinds as P.M all in four or five days! All politically vulgar, but constitutionally acceptable." Oh boy!
And this one: "Manufactured and Readymade! Made in Janetland! My Guyana had her Bharrat as President of our Republic. I understood the hurt of such loyal "Cheddi children" as Reepu, Moses, Navin, Clement, Ralph, even Roger and Robeson: Cha! "…..even I looked forward to what this baggageless new kid on the political block would offer".
"Swiftly President Jagdeo shed his mask and Putin-like, even did some Forbes Burnham-like things "…..old Cheddie stalwarts were immobilized, co-opted, hushed or evicted."
And here's a point by A. A. Fenty which is serious reasoning not to be pushed aside: "unlike other more hostile commentators and political analysts, I can't ignore the strengths and positives of leaders. However temporary, strategic, or meant to deceive." And yet once again I hear him loud and clear: "Frankly speaking, to me this lad from the fishing village of Unity, now known by the U.N, Caricom, South America and the world, succumbed to the virus of unmitigated power, power that immobilized even successive bright intellectual opposition(s)…..young Bharrat made young Black Professional Persons seem like either an endangered species – or extinct. His is a powerful "legacy" of Indo names in every sphere of authority, power, status and public life" twist and turn it as you like, A. A. Fenty is on target.
Examine this one: "sadly, even if not of his doing under his watch sugar collapsed, crime and cocaine reigned, extra-judicial killings soared, greed submerged even sport, institutions were compromised and national morality plummeted".
And finally smack on: "To me the Ramotar fellows – and Madame Gail have done a fine job to stymie any effective measures the Brigadier's opposition have mounted. The administration has used judicial challenges and delays to a fine art. Budget challenges are by-passed, contracts are awarded like ice-cream and the PPP/C boys are rewarding themselves for any eventualities.
I say, A.A. Fenty definitely got the muse for this one, and good for you, you already have your A. A.
Frank Fyffe
Posted by | October 5, 2014, 7:36 am
October 5 took my youth but my soul lives on
I was in the John F. Kennedy library when I heard the news of the death of the President of Guyana Forbes Burnham. I was unburdened and I would be lying to say otherwise. It was not that Burnham's policies had weakened the fabric of Guyana, but Burnham was personally involved in making my life miserable.
Despite an immense nationalist heart and a learned mind, Burnham was essentially driven by authoritarian instincts. I really don't have time for those who, because the PPP is tyrannical, elevate Burnham to an angel. I am a trained historian. I deal with the recording of facts, not my emotional and sentimental attachments to those who brought me gifts.
If those who brought me gifts turned out to be miserable people who destroyed other people's lives, then I should return the gifts. Burnham was undemocratic. Don't try to polish what cannot generate sheen. The PPP government from October 5, 1992 to now was just as bad as Burnham's. President Jagdeo from 1999 to 2011 turned out to be worse than Burnham.
Jagdeo's excesses, tyrannies, debaucheries, depravities and immoralities do not make Burnham look good. They make Burnham a better leader than Jagdeo. They do not make Burnham a good man. But let us concede to those who love Burnham that he was a good man. Was he a bad man too? Can't a leader embody some good and some bad? And shouldn't a human if he/she is decent acknowledge that their hero, icon, role-model had some bad in them? Why lie to yourself to say your hero was an angel when he was not?
So why was I relieved when Burnham died? Because he hurt my mother and wife, two of the greatest gifts in my life, and two persons I loved more than my own existence. When I returned home in 1984 after serving in Grenada, Mr.
Burnham banned me from employment as he did in 1978 when I won the President's Medal at UG. My mom was heartbroken to see that the only child in the family who went beyond primary school could not work to support her. She died shortly after (I will not forgive Burnham for mistreating my mother and my wife).
Why ban my wife from working too? My wife never uttered a single word against Burnham. She was incapable of doing so, because politics was never ever present in her mind. It was unforgivable of Burnham to bring family into political disputes. Burnham should have dealt with me and left my wife out of the picture. Jagdeo did the same to my wife, which is vivid testimony to the failure of October 5, 1992.
That was the date when all of us who had that blood in us that goes by the name of Guyanese, thought we were on to a brave new world. It was not to be. The "great" Cheddi Jagan was now in power and the myth exploded. He wasn't great at all. He wasn't really different from his soul mate in the fifties, Forbes Burnham.
The mythical Cheddi Jagan died in 1997 and another Forbes Burnham, another Cheddi Jagan took over – Cheddi's wife, Janet. She was vile and heartless, but age destroyed her planning and cunning. She retired in 1999 and an uncertain face came upon the scene. The thought was that Burnham, Jagan and his wife were gone, and so too was that machine of racial preference and political division.
That new face was Bharrat Jagdeo, It still remains a mystery about where he came from, who he was, and what made him tick (I could be cynical and say a certain preference). If anyone destroyed the hope of October 5, it was Bharrat Jagdeo. But the destruction of October 5 holds in its bosom another deadly myth. All fingers point to Bharrat Jagdeo as the culprit. The reality is that it was the PPP. Jagdeo was just the mere head of the hydra.
The shattered world of October 5 will always remind us that Guyanese history, after colonial rule ended, was built on lies and deception. Who was the PNC and who was the PPP? My generation was told it was a clear case of black and white; no grey areas. The PNC was the bad guy. The PPP was the good guy.
After October 5, 1992, the good guy was now in power, our dreams had come true. But history and life are streams that dictate their own flow; we mortals are mere spectators.
After 1992, roles got reversed. The PNC became the good guy, the PPP the big bad wolf. And what a ferocious wolf it was and is. Mr. Burnham was flawed. But the PPP after October 5 demonstrated that it was not just bad but evil. That's where we are at the moment.
Posted by | October 5, 2014, 8:19 am
Sattaur poses a threat to all Guyana
…Bharrat Jagdeo now a private citizen without immunity – Harmon
J Edgar Hoover is the late famed director of the USA's Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and used his office to amass secret files on political leaders and was reportedly in a position to intimidate and threaten anybody including sitting Presidents.
Because of his blackmailing tactics, he was able to serve as the helm of the agency for decades, eventually dying in office.
With the recent revelations local about tax boss, Khurshid Sattaur, some are wondering whether he will be allowed to continue carry out vendettas like Hoover.
Sattaur has already effectively silenced popular columnist and social activist, Freddie Kissoon, and in a recent boast in an email sent to Attorney General Anil Nandlall, he wrote "It is instructive to note that the reason why Freddie is now averse (reluctant) to writing trash concerning me is because a multi-million-dollar assessments hang over his head like the sword of demacles (sic)."
Sattaur was also instructive in seeking to silence a prominent local businessman who was critical of the former President Bharrat Jagdeo, by launching a full scale audit into his operations.
Included in the leaked emails sent by Sattaur to Nandlall, he also spoke of an impending audit of the Kaieteur News even as Editor-in-Chief, Adam Harris, lament officials inquiring of his bank information.
More Threats
A Partnership For National Unity's (APNU), General Secretary, Joseph Harmon, is now reporting too that he has been threatened by Sattaur and has also stated that given the recent revelations, all opposition Members of Parliament should feel threatened by the Guyana Revenue Authority boss.
Harmon during an explosive interview with this publication recently said that "the Commissioner General has said publicly that he knows how much money I work for and that if anything were to happen to his children that he will file an action against me and I have the capacity to pay that money."
According to Harmon, "this is a personal experience of mine where the Commissioner General has written in the newspapers…He has written to say that he knows exactly what my assets are and that if anything were to happen to his children that he knows I have the capacity to do it..What is he doing? Isn't he exposing me, isn't he saying to the rest of the world that this man like he got some money somewhere?"
Harmon was adamant that Sattaur is not fit to hold the office of Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority.
He said what Sattaur did to him inherently is a threat and while he is not personally moved by it other Opposition Members ought to feel at risk.
"They have to feel at risk because this is a man who has no problems in releasing information on your personal financial standing."
Harmon said that this risk should not be seen to be against the Opposition Members alone, adding that Sattaur seems to be a man capable of releasing personal financial information on members of the Private Sector as well.
Plot to Silence Media
He drew reference too, to a recent Sectoral Committee of Parliament meeting where the Opposition Members sought to identify how much taxes and royalty is paid to the Guyana Revenue Authority by Bosai, given the controversy over the amounts that should be paid to the country.
According to Harmon, Natural Resource Minister, Robert Persaud, told the Committee that the information could not be access by him from GRA or released unless Bosai agreed.
Harmon questioned rhetorically whether any of the local media houses consented to having their confidential tax information released to Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo.
He said that the disclosures point to the double standards perpetrated by Sattaur at the helm of the Guyana Revenue Authority.
"This has to be part of a dynamic plot to silence the media, to muzzle the media," according to Harmon.
KNews Editor-in-Chief, Adam Harris
According to the senior opposition member, "Kaieteur News, as far as I am concerned, is just the first step and anybody who seeks to criticize this government, anybody who takes a stand against this government must expect similar treatment."
Jagdeo a Private Citizen
Meanwhile, weighing in on the involvement of the former president, Jagdeo, in the release of the tax information on several local media houses, Harmon said in no uncertain terms that Jagdeo is a private citizen who is not entitled to receive such information.
According to Harmon, the former president therefore has no right to receive any such information of that nature from
Sattaur since he is no longer protected by any level of immunity that would have come with his office.
Harmon who is also a practicing Attorney-at-Law, said if Sattaur volunteered the information to Jagdeo, "that makes it even worse…that makes it, as far as I am concerned, an act of malfeasance in public office"
Turning his attention to the emails and recent revelations by Sattaur, confirming that he did in fact provide confidential information to the former President, Harmon reminded that Sattaur is the person responsible for sensitive information, such as taxes paid by companies and individuals, and as such what transpired must be recognized that as a serious violation and breach of trust.
According to Harmon the recent disclosures on Sattaur speaks to an incompetence in office and a breach of trust the Guyanese people would have placed in the Office of the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority.
Posted by | October 6, 2014, 10:41 am
APNU to bring 'malfeasance in office' charge against Sattaur –
General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon – "His actions clearly leave the nation's tax information open for "abuse at any time"
After careful analysis of the recent "devious attacks" by the country's tax chief, Khurshid Sattaur, and former president Bharrat Jagdeo, to destroy the Kaieteur News, General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon deduced that it is clear that "Sattaur thinks he is in the Wild, Wild West and his office is his ammunition."
He is also of the belief that the tax chief's actions amount to terrorism and that "he has inflicted diseases on the GRA, those being—disregard for professional ethics, disregard for the rights of citizens to confidentiality, disregard for integrity that his office should have, and most of all a blatant disrespect to the fourth estate's right to freedom of speech and the country's right to democracy. They are now spreading to the other ministries."
The lawyer said that as someone who stands firm for transparency and accountability, he is left with no choice but to put the necessary steps in place to bring a "malfeasance in office" charge against the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Over the past weeks, several email between Jagdeo and Sattaur which exposed their apparent plot to "close down" the newspaper, hit the news pages. Sattaur had sent the former president the tax information of several news entities. This information was then forwarded to Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.
Many have said that it is, without a doubt, an undeniable breach of the Oath of Secrecy that was taken by the Chartered Accountant. Since the revelations by this newspaper, calls have been unending for Sattaur's immediate resignation.
In light of the publications of the damning evidence, comments from political figures, accountants, lawyers and even the ordinary man have followed, particularly on how the Parliament and even institutions to which the tax chief is attached, should deal with him.
Harmon said, yesterday, that Sattaur, as the guardian of the country's tax information, and as a Chartered Accountant, Khurshid Sattaur ought to know that such behaviour would be highly intolerable. He said, too, that his coalition considers Sattaur's actions to be a most "sickening and frightening prospect for the people of Guyana".
The APNU General Secretary said that it is imperative that the charge be brought against Sattaur so that anyone who is to take Sattaur's position would know that it is not an untouchable office and that once certain offences are committed, the office holder would be answerable to the court.
"What kind of example is Sattaur really setting for those to follow? He may not be aware of it now but it is unfortunate that he is leaving a stench and a stain on the integrity and credibility of his office that will not be gotten rid of by his resignation.
"The fear Sattaur has put into the people of this country must be eradicated. The right and just way is by passing him through the court and I am getting the necessary work done for the right charges to be brought against him. I am a far way with it and I am not just making a call for him to resign. He has to pass through the court," Harmon said.
Harmon explained that malfeasance in office is when an officer commits a particular act, in Sattaur's case, through malice, knowing that he has no legal right to do that. The APNU parliamentarian said that Sattaur's actions reflect an abuse of power.
Harmon has said that the newspaper will have his coalition's "unwavering support in the fight for democracy against the powers that may be".
"APNU views Sattaur's behaviour as not only an attack on the Kaieteur News but a clear disrespect and disregard for the Constitutional rights of citizens to access information. We will stand firm by Kaieteur News.
"We want to put the government and Sattaur on notice that we will not sit idly by and watch them violate the rights of
citizens. The government's inaction in light of Sattaur's behaviour reflects full support of such scales of lawlessness by public officials," the APNU executive said.
Harmon said that Sattaur's actions clearly leave the nation's tax information open for "abuse at any time".
The Alliance For Change (AFC) also issued a statement in which it expressed dissatisfaction over the dilemma.
AFC, at a recent meeting to plan for General Elections next year, addressed the Kaieteur News situation.
"The meeting also expressed solidarity with Kaieteur News which is being subjected to attempts to muzzle it as a member of the free press."
Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes, recently stated that he believes that the National Assembly should address with urgency the breach of the "Oath of Secrecy" by the Commissioner General.
It has always been the suspicion, since independence, that the tax department has been used as an instrument in which citizens have been threatened if they criticize the administration, he said.
"But now, we have confirmation that the department has made itself available to the Government of the day for use against the citizenry and that is really the most frightening aspect of it. I believe because of this magnitude, the Parliament needs to address this as a matter of urgency," Hughes stated.
Hughes added that Sattaur's actions to close down one of the prominent members of the fourth estate, Kaieteur News, in such a manner is an issue that the Parliament ought to address as a matter of grave importance.
AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, had also said that the party has already begun sharing its views on the matter with the diplomatic community.
Ramjattan had said that his party plans to send the information to organizations such as CARICOM, the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
He said that this was being done to externalize the kind of misconduct that is being condoned by "top notch administrators" in Guyana.
Posted by | October 7, 2014, 10:47 am
GRA, a tool for revenge by the state – says Stockbroker
Backed by the supremacy of the laws and armed with the authority to enforce, some agencies of the state wield extraordinary powers. They can reveal the dictatorial tendency of government.
This is according to columnist, Rawle Lucas, who runs the weekly Lucas Stock index.
"Such gargantuan powers are more ominous and politically threatening when the immunity of an intolerant or obdurate President is inserted into the process of tax law."
According to Lucas, one agency with such powers in Guyana is the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) whose most potent weapon is its powers of compulsion.
He added that the GRA has responsibility for tax laws of Guyana with the goal of collecting taxes for use by government.
Lucas in his analysis said that Commissioner General of the GRA, Khurshid Sattaur, cannot do his job of assessing tax or determining tax liability without the requisite information and the law "gives him the authority to demand that information from tax payers if it is not provided voluntarily.
According to Lucas, the law puts the power of Commissioner General on full display, including the ability to "make taxpayers do things that might even turn out to be unnecessary."
He said that one example of "this frightening reality" is seen in the law which states, "The Commissioner-General may by notice in writing require any person to furnish him within a specified time any particulars in writing he requires for any purpose relating to the administration or enforcement of this Act, whether or not the person has been previously assessed or additionally assessed, with respect to the income, assets and liabilities of such person or of his wife."
According to Lucas, it would appear, therefore, that it does not matter how often the GRA has assessed a taxpayer, it can keep coming after that taxpayer.
"Even if such behaviour amounts to harassment, it looks as if it could continue for as long as the GRA wishes it to."
He noted, too, that the grim reality is that things could become rougher if the taxpayer appears to be resisting the request of the Commissioner-General.
He drew reference to Article 64 which states, "The Commissioner General or any officer duly authorized in writing in that behalf by him may enter any premises used for industrial, business or trade purposes at all reasonable times for the purpose of obtaining any information required for the application of this Act."
The Act further states that, "Any person who refuses to permit the Commissioner General or such an officer after production of his authority, to enter any such' premises or obstructs the Commissioner General or such an officer in the discharge of his functions under the preceding subsection shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of fifteen thousand dollars or to imprisonment for six months."
He said, "The GRA can turn up the heat and invade the premises of any taxpayer to get the information that it wants and force compliance. No matter how one resists and protests, the GRA can act aggressively and apologize afterwards if it needs to and so wishes."
According to Lucas, this means that the Commissioner-General does not need the authority of any one to go after the tax information of any taxpayer and to launch an investigation into the business dealings of any person or enterprise.
"That authority is already contained in the law that created his position and the authority that goes with it."
He noted, too, that some Customs officials have the exact authority of the police and the GRA could enforce compliance if the matter involves the Customs Act.
"That is a very powerful level of authority which is backed up by the threat of imprisonment and even restriction of freedom to travel."
According to Lucas, until an appeals process decides otherwise, the GRA can make a taxpayer do needless things and keep such person's life in suspense.
He posited that the powers of the GRA were not intended to torment taxpayers, and if used vindictively will not produce welfare benefits or economic efficiency.
"The risk of this type of behaviour and loss of economic benefits heighten when a government feels that it has a right to remain in power indefinitely…Members of a government begin to see state resources as their own and not those of the people."
He noted that in such a situation state institutions are not used efficiently and become tools of entrenchment and repression rather than agents of economic change as public officials seek to remain in control of the state's resources.
In such circumstances fiduciary responsibilities like upholding the secrecy obligations could recede into the background.
"The GRA ought not to be a tool for revenge or maladministration by the state…Some lawmakers might only now be awakening to the reality that by endowing the GRA with extreme powers, they might be enabling the maladministration of the executive."
Sattaur and the GRA have in recent weeks, been the centre of a brewing controversy over the leakage of the tax information of several local media houses to former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Only recently, A Partnership For National Unity's General Secretary, Joseph Harmon, came public with the fact that Sattaur has also used his office to threaten him.
Harmon during an explosive interview with this publication recently said that "the Commissioner General has said publicly that he knows how much money I work for and that if anything were to happen to his children that he will file an action against me and I have the capacity to pay that money."
"This is a personal experience of mine where the Commissioner General has written in the newspapers. He has written to say that he knows exactly what my assets are and that if anything were to happen to his children that he knows I have the capacity to do it. What is he doing? Isn't he exposing me? Isn't he saying to the rest of the world that this man like he got some money somewhere?"
Harmon was adamant that Sattaur is not fit to hold the office of Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority.
He said what Sattaur did to him inherently is a threat and while he is not personally moved by it other Opposition Members ought to feel at risk.
"They have to feel at risk because this is a man who has no problems in releasing information on your personal financial standing."
Sattaur has already effectively silenced popular columnist and social activist, Freddie Kissoon. In a recent boast in an email sent to Attorney General Anil Nandlall, he wrote, "It is instructive to note that the reason why Freddie is now averse to writing trash concerning me is because a multi-million-dollar assessment hangs over his head like the sword of demacles (sic)."
Sattaur was also instructive in seeking to silence a prominent local businessman who was critical of the former President Bharrat Jagdeo, by launching a full scale audit into his operations.
Included in the leaked email sent by Sattaur to Nandlall, he also spoke of an impending audit of the Kaieteur News even as Editor-in-Chief, Adam Harris, laments officials inquiring of his bank information.
Posted by | October 7, 2014, 10:48 am
We must all condemn the vengeful and desperate pursuit of Kaieteur News and Glenn Lall
It is really frightening that in this 22nd year since the so-called restoration of democracy to Guyana, a major Guyanese newspaper and its owner have been targeted for persecution and prosecution simply for reporting the news.
Though I am convinced that any eventual prosecution will end in failure, I am concerned that Kaieteur News and Glenn Lall will have to expend valuable time and hard-earned money to clear their names against the vengeful frivolities of people who believe that their election or appointment to office has made them immune to scrutiny. I believe that these demonstrably frivolous actions have no place in even a so-called democratic society such as ours, and must therefore be condemned.
So I join right-thinking Guyanese in condemning the various skullduggeries that have been unleashed against Kaieteur News and Glenn Lall by Khurshid Sattaur and his handlers. In their vengeful and desperate pursuit of Mr. Lall and Kaieteur News, Mr. Sattaur and his handlers have disregarded civility, ignored the rule of law, and stomped on our constitution.
I urge Guyanese everywhere to join me in defending Mr. Lall and Kaieteur News so that they can continue to provide us with the information we so desperately need to help hold our politicians and appointed officials responsible to their oaths of office.
As this matter unfolds, it is worth observing that Khurshid Sattaur probably didn't voluntarily pick up the fire-rage of Bharrat Jagdeo and others in their ill-advised battle against Kaieteur News and Glenn Lall. It's just that he finds himself as head of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) at a time when those who appointed him are hell-bent on using the GRA or any other means to destroy Kaieteur News or any other entity that exposes their disgusting disservice to our nation. So having picked up the fire-rage, Khurshid now finds himself trapped and belittled in a firestorm of public criticisms and self-delusions, hoping against all hope that the police will rescue him.
I hope that the police will act professionally and refuse to allow themselves to be used as anybody's attack dog. The police must respect their oath of office, respect the independence they preach, and refuse to be used in any effort to deprive Guyanese of a news outlet that is essential in a so-called democracy.
Lionel Lowe
Posted by | October 7, 2014, 10:49 am
Tax thuggery in Guyana
I condemn in the strongest possible terms the official misuse of personal and confidential tax information obtained from any citizen. Richard Nixon did do, and so did John F. Kennedy. Still, it should not happen-must not happen-here in Guyana. There is no place, and none must be allowed, for this type of lawlessness.
Without a doubt, such behaviour rises to the level of felonious conduct and a deplorable abuse of office and power. It is highly unacceptable, whether politically orchestrated, or boasts a public service source; or both.
Clearly, misuse of tax information is expressly intended to intimidate and pummel into submission and silence. It is wrong; it is obscene. It is tax thuggery of the vilest sort. The severest of penalties ought to be levied, if only to deter similar criminal misconduct in the future.
GHK Lall
Posted by | October 7, 2014, 10:50 am
I will stand by Kaieteur News
We all yearned for change back in the halcyon days of 1992, and I remember the euphoria I felt when the PPP won the election and I re-migrated to Guyana with the sincere belief that Guyana was going to change and those tiresome days of shortages of every description were over.
I even was part of a jingle that went something like this "……Guyana's on the rise….."
Well instead it sank into a lawless land where the majority are poor and life is cheap, where the top 2% have unbridled wealth, where fear, violence and victimization stalk the land. Surely dictatorship will be the next horror.
In the words of Leonard Cohen, "The light gets through the cracks" and that light was Kaieteur News, who fearlessly reported the wrongdoing of the PPP. So yes Glenn, Adam et al at Kaieteur News, I will stand by you. I will do whatever is necessary. They WILL NOT SHUT Kaieteur News.
Rachel Hibbin
Posted by | October 7, 2014, 10:50 am
GRA leak of sensitive tax information…KN Publisher files official complaint to highest accounting body
Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, filed an official complaint, yesterday, with the country's highest accountancy
body, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana (ICAG), against the head of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur.
The official complaint, which was prompted by the illegal release of tax information, said that Commissioner-General Khurshid Sattaur is guilty of misconduct in office by his acts.
This newspaper, in recent weeks, published details which revealed a shocking plot by top Government officials, in collaboration with Sattaur, to go after a number of private newspapers and news entities that have been highly critical of projects and the way taxpayers' dollars are being spent.
Kaieteur News has been at the brunt of the offence by Government which has been under increasing criticisms for a number of questionable contracts and deals with investors.
By law, GRA is bound to keep secret tax and other financial information filed by taxpayers.
Emails were sent by Sattaur to Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, and to former President Bharrat Jagdeo. However, the tax information was only released to Jagdeo, according to evidence revealed to Kaieteur News.
The tax information on Kaieteur News was not included, but Sattaur spoke of intentions to release these once a number of safeguards are in place.
There has been widespread condemnation after those revelations of the tax leaks, with questions asked about which other businesses may have suffered.
According to the letter sent yesterday to the ICAG, Lall said that Sattaur, as a Chartered Accountant, was in breach of a statutory Declaration of Secrecy and of the law when he provided information concerning the tax affairs of several newspaper publishing companies to the former President.
The complaint also included the copies of emails from Sattaur to Jagdeo and the Attorney General.
"While only of tangential importance, the emails demonstrate that Mr. Sattaur, who is the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, is using his position in an improper manner amounting to professional misconduct," the complaint by Lall said.
"In view of the seriousness of this matter and the impact it has on the reputation of the accountancy profession for probity, integrity and professionalism, I would welcome prompt action to address my complaint."
ICAG recently said that it stands for transparency and accountability, and that it takes accusations of breach of professional ethics by its members seriously.
ICAG is the body responsible for the regulation of the accounting profession in Guyana under the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana Act 1991.
It is a public interest body whose objectives include the promotion and increase of the proficiency of its members and regulation of the conduct of its members.
The ICAG is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC), the regional body. Monitoring is conducted by the ACCA.
Council members of the ICAG said that the Kaieteur News or any member of the public, for that matter, is free to file a complaint against any of its members believed to be unjust in their profession.
The members explained that every affiliate of the Institute is required to respect the confidentiality of information acquired.
Kaieteur News was informed that once the report is made to the Institute, an investigation would be launched for the gathering of the necessary evidence. Once that aspect is completed, the relevant disciplinary action would be taken.
"While the council has taken note of the email published by the Kaieteur News, it is not protocol for us to just start an investigation on one of our members without a basis.
"The most suitable basis for us is an official complaint and Kaieteur News is free to do that. It is not normal for the institute to go after its members, and there has never been something like this before on Sattaur. We would invite Mr. Lall to make a report and bring the evidence he has," a member had disclosed.
On the website of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), of which Sattaur is a member, it said that members are required to observe proper standards of professional conduct. ACCA will take disciplinary action against its members, firms and registered students where there is evidence of a sufficiently serious failure to observe those standards.
It was also stated that once ACCA receives a complaint, it may decide to proceed with its investigation, despite a later request by the complainant for it to be withdrawn.
A senior Opposition Parliamentarian, Joseph Harmon, has since vowed to file charges against Sattaur, making it clear that the people have lost confidence in him.
Posted by | October 8, 2014, 9:53 am
Govt's silence on Sattaur's behaviour reflects its acceptance of lawlessness – Harmon
"When a government continues to be silent after seeing its public officials display unimaginable scales of lawlessness
and corruption, it only signals strong support for that kind of behaviour and inevitably, sends a distasteful message to the nation. If government cannot keep its own officials in line and prevent excessive abuses against members of the Fourth Estate who are the eyes and ears of the people, then how do you expect citizens to believe that you have its best interest at heart?"
This was the assertion of General Secretary of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon, in light of damning evidence which reveals a plot between former president Bharrat Jagdeo and Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur to shut down the Kaieteur News.
Harmon stated that it is imperative for citizens to understand what is taking place before them.
"I want to appeal to citizens to understand the political gamesmanship that is taking place. The government can only be seen as condoning the actions of Sattaur, for they have been nothing but silent on this front. They have not denied the content of the email published by Kaieteur News. Because he has caught them with their pants down, they will now try to damage the character of the publisher of the newspaper, Glenn Lall, because he is standing firm for democracy and transparency.
"We cannot let him stand alone in this. We have to let the government know that the people of this nation are sick of their torture and terrorism games by any of its arms. How many times have we spoken about just talking and not putting force behind what we say? This is one of the perfect opportunities for the people to show this government that they want a change in the scope of things. I want to urge citizens to stand up against the abuse of office by such public officials," Harmon emphasised.
The APNU MP said that he knows that government is running scared, because the Opposition is standing up for "a man who believes in democracy".
"The next thing that they will do is bring out a set of distasteful concoctions to fool the people into thinking that this man is not standing for principle. They will try to get the public to not support Mr. Lall so that he can feel alone in this matter and the PPP strikes hardest when they think they have isolated you. This government has no control over how far it will go to muzzle a man who will stand against them, who will challenge them. They are scared of fearless people," Harmon concluded.
Posted by | October 8, 2014, 9:56 am
The dissemination of tax information
Dear Editor,
I am very anguished by the actions of Khurshid Sattaur and Bharrat Jagdeo in releasing confidential tax information about a privative citizen. This demonstrates that every citizens of Guyana tax information is now in the public domain. Sattaur and Jagdeo are above the Law, as he mentioned in his email and quote "we are in this together".
These two individuals have all the intension, maliciously and deliberately to close the function of Kaieteur News and other operatives who oppose the corrupt Government, this is clear vendetta. These two individuals are behaving like the Italian mafia. We must adhere to the principles of democracy, transparency and freedom of the press.
He must understand this is a breach of the secrecy he swore to, and such breach should carry a severe penalty. He has violated the rights of every citizen. Both Sattaur and Jagdeo are accountable for the crime; they are a complicit and must face the consequences. Such behavior should not be tolerated.
The penalty should set a precedent for all public servants in Government, as no one is above the law. In other countries where tax and health information are held by Government authorities, to release such to anyone, carries severe penalties.
Marcel Leonard
New York.
Posted by | October 8, 2014, 9:58 am
Sattaur should pack his bags and go
Dear Editor
The constant revelations of a proposed plot by former President (a private citizen) and the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Mr. Khurshid Sattaur, to "bring down" the Kaieteur News and its Publisher Mr.Glenn Lall, is and should be a matter of grave concern to all political parties, the private sector commission, chambers of commerce across this country, trade unions, NGO"s, the diplomatic community and all Guyanese home and abroad.
The commissioner-general, and tax chief of GRA has, by virtue of his alleged actions, betrayed and violated the confidence of all Guyanese tax payers of their most private and confidential financial information.
By all indications, his action is in breach of the oath of secrecy he swore to keep and respect as an officer of the highest office of the revenue authority. He has failed to honour his obligations to all Guyanese to "truly, faithfully, impartially and honestly execute the powers vested in him.
This intended plot should not in any way be brushed aside or taken for granted. This issue is very serious and diabolical in nature. It borders on the line of denying the citizens of Guyana their constitutional right to access of information. It also points to curtailing and restricting the media/press. This is infringing on the freedom of expression that our constitution provides.
The free press is the essence of what democracy represents and embodies. It is the voice of the voiceless, the weapon and shield against injustice and lawlessness. The free press is the ever vigilant watch dog against capriciousness, falsehood and rapacious corruption. It is the defender against potential rise of dictators and it is the safeguard against tyranny in countries that profess to be democratic.
If the press is not free, if it is controlled or curtailed by whatever means, then the tenants of democracy and freedom are at risk.
The tax boss's actions very pellucid, indicate that he has used the taxpayers personal, private and confidential information as a weapon to satisfy his and others personal grievances and vendettas. What is equally more frightening is the perceived connection with individuals of high ranking in government willing to assist him in his wicked, malicious and evil endeavour.
This, as they say in proverbial language, has broken the camel's back indeed.
Mr. Sattaur's abuse of power is coupled with a high level of arrogance and his recent press release in the Kaieteur News and Stabroek News on October 5, 2014 is tantamount to this. His breach of the oath of secrecy is criminal and the police should investigate his illegal action and deal with this issue condignly.
By his actions and his pernicious attempts, he has deceived the President, the parliament, the people of this country, the diaspora and every Guyanese. I am suggesting that there has to be in the clearest language and apology from Mr. Sattaur to all tax paying Guyanese and businesses.
His actions are unprofessional, unethical and Mr. Sattaur should do the professional and ethical thing. PACK HIS BAGS AND GO.
Jermaine Figueira
Posted by | October 8, 2014, 9:59 am
Salute to Glenn Lall
Dear Sir,
When Glenn Lall had a bi-monthly Newspaper he really struggled with it. When he said he would go DAILY with it I thought he was MAD.
Today I take my hat off to Glen Lall …we need a few more GLEN LALLS to rock and shake this country . We seriously do.
P. Harris
Posted by | October 8, 2014, 10:00 am
When you dig hole, you does fall in
Dem boys hear that de same people who seh that dem deh in this thing together planning a lot of things fuh people.
But there is an old saying, "When you dig hole fuh you mattie, you first does fall in." Some people got another saying. "When you dig one hole fuh you mattie you must dig two fuh youself."
When dem boys use to warn people that Jagdeo and he friends was tekking over all of Guyana, nobody didn't pay attention. Some people think was joke. Now dem wake up and realize that de man and he friends own half of Guyana, dem decide fuh tek things serious and protect de other half before de man and he friends run wid all.
Dem boys seh that Jagdeo and he friends serious. Dem would stop at nutten fuh protect wha dem tek and wha else dem plan fuh tek.
Jagdeo stand up big and bold Wednesday and talk fuh everybody to hear. De man seh that if there is a plot against de owner of de Waterfalls paper, don't ask if he inside. He deh inside.
That is no secret fuh dem boys. Dem know that he deh in all de dutty, nasty and scampish deals in de country. Dem boys seh that Guyana got a message fuh he and he kavakamites. De day will come when everybody gun rejoice and tun back and pray fuh dem.
Luncheon, who seh that he does follow de party blind, gun can't save dem. Up to yesterday he defending de indefensible. He talk bout government people discussing email and hacking. He seh that de government frighten.
E-mail is not like a letter. When you press send, it ain't got no end. Dem boys glad because dem ketch a set of email and got it as undeniable proof of their nasty deeds. Is not like a letter that you write wid a pen pun a piece of paper that you can tear up; or a book wha you write down you deeds that you can set afire.
Email is a thing even if you delete it, Uncle Sam can retrieve it. Even if you throw de computer in de middle of de Atlantic Ocean dem got people who gun find a solution. If you burn de computer wid de hard drive, de email is still alive.
Dem boys got a message fuh all of dem, you can run and hide, even in de Santa complex, but that can't get rid of de email and dem other nastiness. Dem things dangling in de air and dem boys got access.
Talk half and watch how dem gun fall in de hole wha dem dig.
Posted by | October 9, 2014, 9:59 pm
Can Ebola destroy Guyana?
The World Health Organization says that Ebola's presence in Europe is unavoidable, but the continent has the resources to contain an outbreak. The obvious question to ask is if a country like Guyana – one of the poorest economies in the world – with abominable shortcomings in state services – can survive an Ebola outbreak?
Anyone who lived here will know the answer is no, it cannot. No one wishes illness and death onto others, but self-destructive people should be shown no sympathy. This is a self-destructive nation. It manifests all the characteristics of a country journeying aimlessly to the precipice.
The best analogy I can think of is Germany under the Nazi Party. The German people welcomed Hitler and his Nazi
Party in 1930. They handed them substantial votes that allowed him to enter Parliament in 1933. The German people in the twenties were tired and pessimistic. The defeat in the First World War, and the paranoia and economic hardship, made Hitler an attractive presence.
Then Hitler began to show his true colours. Hitler was obsessed with power and domination. As Germany became a disturbed society, consuming its citizenry, the German people remained unmoved, until it was too late. Hitler's power obsession and the silence of the German people brought about the virtual destruction of Germany in 1945.
One of the saddest sights to see, about human misery, is the hopelessness of the German people as they wander around their burn out cities in 1945. The young and the old, and the babies in mother's embrace looking for food and shelter, looking for tomorrow.
The picture resembles an imaginary Guyana after Ebola strikes. The parallel of Nazi Germany with Guyana is so uncanny. Even though Hoyte brought hope and satisfaction, the Guyanese people welcomed a Jagan Government in 1992. The population felt that the PNC had a mammoth spell and it was time to give another party a chance. Jagan wasn't that terrible, but the signs were there that PPP and ethnic domination was coming.
It came with Bharrat Jagdeo. He showed no interest in state services and public infrastructure. The first casualty was the Botanic Gardens. The animals died, the trees died, the gardens died. The University of Guyana was next. This is one death that the Guyanese people should be ashamed of. Only an infected, morbid mind would accept that the University of Guyana is a functioning entity. There are high schools in poor African and Latin American countries that make UG look like an abandoned building in the 19th century. Compare UG to an elementary school in Europe or North America.
The third casualty was Georgetown itself. The people of Guyana, with very few exceptions, accept to dwell in the filthiest, dirtiest, foul-smelling city in the entire world. Every day there is some celebration or the other among this filth. There is an asinine hat show by some mindless group whose name I cannot remember, right in the middle of the garbage in the Promenade Gardens, where the smell of the single washroom permeates the air.
There are groups like the Lions and Jaycees that are immersed in their ego-tripping public escapades and are shamelessly oblivious to the ubiquitous mountains of miasma. This rotting capital of Guyana hides the true picture.
I went to Block 8 of Mon Repos to visit someone. The entire district is laden with garbage on every street. All the trenches and parapets on every street look like the forests in the interior. My host told me he just returned from an American holiday and what he sees in Block 8 has him very depressed.
Amidst these debaucheries, ignorance of life prevails. The middle class and the rich stratum deeply believe in their minds that if Ebola should come to Guyana, they would fly out. How stupid can a human be? Ebola causes death within days. And who says your intended country will let you in to receive treatment? Ebola is very infectious.
If there is a God, he treats Guyanese in a special place in his heart. It has to be the work of God that prevents literally hundreds of thousands of Guyanese within the space of days from being knocked down with Chikungunya. All over Guyana are unweeded trenches, alleys, gutters. Mosquitoes have to be in these places by the trillions, not billions. The hand of God is protecting Guyana.
If Ebola comes, can an abandoned country like Guyana escape this decimation? God will save those who have spoken out against misrule that has caused garbage to overrun Guyana. God knows such people have paid their obligation to their country. Ebola will only strike down the self-destructive ones.
Posted by | October 10, 2014, 11:07 am
Jagdeo greedy from small
Helping others brings happiness, but selfishness never can. When Jagdeo was a li'l boy he stand outside a sweetie shop at Mahaica and peep inside at all dem nice sweetie deh.
Up come a rich man, see how Jagdeo watching de sweetie and feel sorry fuh he. De man hold he hand and carry he inside de shop and tell de shop lady, 'Full a bag with every kind of sweet he wants.'
Jagdeo couldn't believe his luck. He full he mouth wid sweetie and de rich man ask he, 'Is that good, son?' Jagdeo shake he head and seh 'Uh huh.'
Then the man asked, 'Could I have some?' Immediately de man see a different Jagdeo. De boy's look of joy turned to fear, and clutching the bag he ran away shouting, 'Mine, mine!'
That is how he stay even when he tun a big man. He believe up to now that de Treasury is he own and he own alone. Dem boys got a message fuh he. Happiness doesn't come by getting; it comes by forgetting yourself and living for others.
Dem boys seh that de Creeatah does bless you for one reason: to make you a blessing to others. You're not supposed to be a warehouse—but a clearing house.
From de day of that sweetie experience to this day Jagdeo has been more than a warehouse. He start wid a town house which he seh he sell but nobody believe.
Then he build a big, fancy beachfront house. Nobody know wha he storing inside but fuh sure he tek de Santa complex to be a warehouse and not a clearing house.
Four weeks ago dem boys hear he visit de town house wha he seh he sell to Ernie de Rass. De guard didn't open de gate because he didn't know who Jagdeo was. Not knowing de man who resemble de devil cost de guard he wuk.
De next day dem boys hear that de guard pardner tun up wid he couple day pay and tell he that he got bad news fuh he. "You see that man wha you seh you nah know yesterday? Well he seh to hand you this envelope and you fired."
Talk half and learn that is how Guyana's devil does spread love and wealth.
Posted by | October 10, 2014, 1:12 pm
Plot to silence K/News moves beyond mere emails… Sattaur bypasses Govt, seeks info from InterPol, US Embassy
Amidst a systematic wave of attacks against the Kaieteur News by Government, evidence has surfaced that Head of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur, has been making other moves on his own.
He attempted to solicit information from International Police (InterPol) and the US Embassy in Georgetown.
However, both the Embassy and Interpol last month rebuffed Sattaur's attempts for information. From the US Embassy he sought personal information on two remigrants who are United States citizens.
The embassy immediately wrote to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs citing procedural breaches and advised the Ministry to restrain Sattaur.
The Embassy in a reply which was addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month, said that it could not accommodate the request, explaining that it must be forwarded through the "correct channels".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs seemed to have been caught unaware of Sattaur's request for information, and called on the GRA boss to follow the correct procedures in the future.
The Foreign Ministry in turn wrote the GRA Commissioner General asking him to forward such request through the Ministry, providing details of what he wants and the actions he is seeking.
Sattaur did not stop at the United States embassy.
He wanted to trace phone calls which he said were made to him by Glenn Lall from the United States of America.
Sattaur alleged that during the telephone calls, Lall threatened him.
For the telephone call information, Sattaur wrote InterPol, Washington DC. He wanted a record of calls made to his phone and the owner of the telephone number.
However, that international security organization in its response made it clear that it is barred from releasing the information.
"Our apologies, but the US authorities are prohibited from obtaining subscriber information from US-based communications companies without the issuance of a subpoena, court order, and/or search warrant.
"This means that in order for your judicial authorities to obtain the requested subscriber information, a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) request, or ILOR must be forwarded through the US Department of Justice Office of International Affairs."
InterPol said that as far as the request was concerned, the matter was closed.
Sattaur's move to the international bodies was sparked by emails between himself, former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Attorney General Anil Nandlall.
The emails which were published by this newspaper, revealed a secret plot to use state audits as one of the ways to stop media reporting on a number of highly corrupt and issues embarrassing to the GRA and its Commissioner General.
The emails include confidential tax information sent to Jagdeo and a copy, minus the tax information on Kaieteur News, to Nandlall.
The exchanges also spoke of how successful the threats of audit had been on several critics of the government, including Freddie Kissoon, a popular columnist for the Kaieteur News.
Kissoon received up to nine assessments at one time, a move Sattaur said in the emails was a like a sword of Damocles hanging over the columnist's head.
In recent weeks, Sattaur using his powers as Commissioner-General, launched an attack against the paper, the largest selling daily, after investigative reports revealed that he had employed several of his children and other relatives at that agency, placing them in key and sensitive positions.
As part of the plot, the GRA has filed trumped up criminal charges against the publisher, his wife and the two remigrants.
The tax chief and his superiors in Government were further angered when the newspaper questioned the granting of duty free concessions to the controversial Chinese company Bai Shan Lin.
Sattaur had commenced his campaign against the newspaper when he ordered his staff to seize two Lexus SUVs belonging to a re-migrant couple in late August. Those vehicles were used from time to time by Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, and his businesswoman wife, Bhena. The remigrant couple has been close family friends of the Lalls for decades.
The Lalls along with the remigrants were, however, charged with tax evasion and other Customs breaches.
The Lalls are to appear in a city Magistrate's court tomorrow for those private criminal charges filed by Sattaur.
The actions of the GRA, with Sattaur at its helm, have caused great worry among several sections of the society, especially the Opposition.
Joe Harmon, of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), has already announced plans to file charges against the Sattaur for breaking the laws when he released highly confidential tax information to the former President who is now a private citizen.
Leader of the Alliance For Change, Khemraj Ramjattan, has called for Sattaur to be removed and for an independent investigation to be launched into those tax leaks.
Kaieteur News itself has filed complaints to the local accounting body against Sattaur for breaching the oath of secrecy he swore to when he was appointed.
Complaints have also been made to the local, regional and international media watchdog bodies.
The administration has been largely silent on the abuse of GRA powers, only questioning how Kaieteur News was able to acquire the emails.
Posted by | October 12, 2014, 6:59 am
From the Diaspora…Abuse of the powers of the state
OCTOBER 12, 2014 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS By Ralph Seeram
She was due to fly out the country the next day to Canada. She was very distraught, not because she was leaving her parents, siblings or her country, she was worried because she did not have a tax exit certificate to leave the country, a valued piece of document back then, a document used by the then PNC government to control its citizens, especially critics of the government.
This was way back in the 70's at the height of PNC power. I recall my late dear friend Guyanese Folklorist, Wordsworth Mc Andrew, telling me how he had to leave Guyana illegally to Suriname by way of Springlands, and then take a flight to the United States. The problem was that ordinary citizens who had no political interest were also caught up in that control, like my friend whom I mentioned at the start of this column.
It became a revenue stream (bribes) for those who worked in the tax department. Then as it is now, is who you know. I called on a friend who was in charge of the branch in New Amsterdam and he personally went after hours to the office and wrote out the tax exit. What the young lady could not achieve in weeks was done with a phone call.
That was back in the PNC days in power, but one has to ask if anything has changed. Today we see the same trend emerging under the PPP government. It is using the POLICE POWERS OF THE STATE to control and or silence critics of the government, including this newspaper. The PPP is doing the same thing the PNC did, but has taken it to a higher level.
The barrage of frivolous libels lawsuits against this newspaper, coupled with the disclosure of efforts through the GRA, to "break the camel back" proves that the PPP is even worse than the PNC, when it comes to vindictiveness.
The exposure of emails between GRA head Khurshid Sattaur, Attorney General Nandlall and former President Bharrat Jagdeo should drive fear into citizens. Some would conclude that those in a position of power are using their position to blackmail critics of the government.
I have not read any clear denial by any of the involved parties of the authenticity of the emails. Sattaur made a feeble attempt at denial but claimed at the same time that his emails were hacked. Mr. Sattaur cannot have both.
A word of advice to Sattaur, politicians have no loyalty. He will find out that when "push come to shove" the politicians will him leave him "high and dry to bear he own chafe". As the old saying goes "push gat push back".
One of the problems with politicians is that they forget that they are servants of the people; they forget that they were employed (elected) by the people to be guardians of their civil rights, their hard earned tax dollars and so forth. They are employees of citizens and as such citizens have a right to know how they spend their money, have a right to question their actions and most important a RIGHT to CRITICIZE them if they feel they are not doing their job as employees of the people.
Today, some in the PPP government have been in power for so long that they have lost sight of this fact. They think that they are the boss and the people are their underlings; they feel they don't have to report to the people, as if the people are their subjects.
I have said before, if you want to live at taxpayers' expense you are subject to their scrutiny, whether it is through the media or otherwise. Apparently this has escaped those in power.
Speaking about the media, and to support my contention, this week, PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, who also happened to be the Minister of Home Affairs, called for the establishment of a "media regulatory body" to monitor the media. Does anybody have any doubt what is the meaning here, or what the intention for such a body is? It is to suppress dissent, stifle criticism of the government and control what the media can say.
Rohee is a reporter's dream. Every time he opens his mouth, the PPP is subject to more criticism. He is a public relations nightmare for the PPP.
Rohee wants swift action to establish a regulatory board for the media, my my, why the rush, because according to him "the media escapes scrutiny due to the absence of a formal mechanism to judge its performance and to impose sanctions in cases where there are infractions".
Mr. Rohee is apparently not aware that there are mechanisms in place for media infractions. They are called libel laws, and the PPP or its Government officials have been using if not abusing them as can be seen from the thirteen libel suits filed by Winston Brassington at one go against this newspaper.
Rohee claims that sections of the media have strayed from the fundamentals of journalistic norms and practices, and are providing fodder for the political opposition, translation Kaieteur News has been exposing corruptions and other irregularities by the government which is being used by the opposition.
Here is another piece of nonsense attributed to him; the media (meaning Kaieteur News) has contributed to the lowering of the country's cultural standards. Is this guy for real? Media lowering the cultural standards of the country? What a joke. If we want to talk of lowering the cultural standards of the country, Rohee should start within the ranks of Ministers and government officials including him and he will see who really lowered the cultural standards of the Guyanese society? I can go on more about Rohee but I think readers get my point.
Rohee can also be dangerous, he is the Minister of Home Affairs responsible of internal security. He has police powers of the state, and some allege that he used it against them. Only this week a reader by way of Facebook reminded me that he was harassed by the police a few years ago because he "bad mouthed" the government abroad. On his return he was detained unnecessarily, and had charges filed against him. They were dismissed. He reminded me that I wrote criticizing the government actions against him then.
Those in government and officials who use their position to victimize critics and opponents of the government are working on the premise that the PPP will be in power forever, well strange things happen in politics.
Should APNU and the AFC join forces not only to force new elections, but successful in winning the next elections as one party, well we will see a lot of exits at the airport by politicians.
You just pay your G$4000 now at the airport for your tax exit, which brings me to another question, why one has to pay to leave a country? Just asking?
Ralph Seeram can be reached email: email@example.com and Facebook
Posted by | October 12, 2014, 8:20 am
Hunt tell Sattaur to hunt elsewhere
Dem boys seh overseas in North Korea, de people ain't see de President, Kim Jung-Un, fuh 39 days and counting. Dem find it strange. But, dem boys nah find that strange in Guyana.
Dem boys seh de leadah in Guyana hasn't been seen longer than that. Dem boys ain't hear much less see Donald fuh months.
Diplomats does call de Waterfalls paper fuh ask if Donald in de country, if he sick or if he get kidnap. De man don't answer he phone and even he siren gone silent.
Is shame mek de man silent. Everybody doing all kind of thing under he nose and he don't seh nutten. Imagine
Sattaur write to de United States Embassy without notifying he bosses. Donald only know when Uncle Sam put Sattaur to he place.
De letter putting Sattaur to he place come from de man Hunt at de US Embassy. And that is not de only Hunt Sattaur got to deal wid. He got de lawyer Hunte who know more tax law than he and who got he jumping and wining by heself.
He hear that de dutty emails that he write come from one embassy and he decide fuh hunt. Sealey, he deputy tell he that dem got a Hunt at de US Embassy who is de Ambassador.
When he hear de man name Hunt he decide fuh write de man. He nah like de answer he get. Dem boys hear that Ambassador Hunt tell he fuh know he place and find another place fuh hunt.
That is how dem boys believe that Sattaur start a witch-hunt. De boss man fuh de Waterfalls paper tell everybody that Sattaur start a campaign that he Sattaur can't end. Knock got knock back and kick got kickback.
Dem boys want all of dem to know that everything dem do somebody gun do back to dem. Dem think that because dem stop using email and using BBM and WhatsApp dem gun keep dem communication secret. Dem boys reading everything already.
Talk half and wait fuh read de BBM revelation.
Posted by | October 12, 2014, 8:23 am
The self-destructive people that attended Jagdeo's dinner
Even Sigmund Freud admitted it was impossible to capture a full understanding of human beings. If Freud was alive one wonders how obsessive he would have been trying to figure out the nature of a group of people named Guyanese.
Former "Champion of Dirt" Bharrat Jagdeo was the guest speaker at a dinner of the Guyana Manufacturing Association, last Friday. Mr. Jagdeo was his usual self – a man desperately running from conversations about his time when he was President in Guyana. Mr. Jagdeo never faced such a circumstance in his entire twelve years of power expansion.
He succeeded in his infamous game of evasion because he shaped the turf on which he operated. He did it again at the dinner. He told his hosts that the question period must be confined to his topic of climate change. And his meek and sheepish guests robotically adhered to the dictate of their benefactor.
There was one exception. Someone got up and asked a question outside Mr. Jagdeo's comfort zone. The questioner wanted to know if Mr. Jagdeo is interested in a third term. It was a wrong question given all the atrocities Mr. Jagdeo committed against Guyana but I suppose the questioner felt that was important.
No one felt the moral and nationalist compulsion to ask Mr. Jagdeo why Guyana needs a Marriott Hotel and not a university? The people who refused to submit such a curiosity are self-destructive. Civilization has survived and the human mind has invented tools that have kept civilization alive because of education.
Countries have become great because of their emphasis on education. Countries will become great if they put national priority on education. Our only university that was so great (my unapologetic description) of which this columnist is a beneficiary, is dying. The consensus among most people associated with UG is that unless there is a united Guyana behind it with vast input of resources, it will not survive another five years.
With a moribund university in our midst, Jagdeo was bold enough to extol the virtues of his pet project, Marriot. He cited the abundance of hotels in Trinidad and Barbados yet those two nations built a Marriott. What the fools who were listening to Jagdeo didn't know or care to know, is that Barbados has UWI and Trinidad has three universities including UWI and all four universities are billions of miles (make that trillions) ahead of our dying UG.
If you think people are barefaced and if you think some human beings are stupid, then read further to hear what
Jagdeo told his audience. The former President who led an entire country to believe he had a legally married wife said that he believes rulers must have the input from the population when they make policies.
When Jagdeo said that, every decent guest should have left. Only three groups should have remained- the diplomats who had to stay; the business people who had to attend because they have been the recipient of Jagdeo's immoral giveaway of Guyana's resources; and those who love to eat and would not have missed the food for the world.
Any physical investigation of those guests who have revealed that all of them, without exception, have traveled to more than six modern territories in the world and have seen the physical environment of these countries and have made a comparison with Guyana, this country would be a virtual pig sty. Yet they spent two hours listening to Mr.
Jagdeo ramble about climate change and the environment.
In common talk around the place Mr. Jagdeo is jokingly called the "Champion of Dirt" after he received the UN Award – Champion of the Earth. This cynicism permeated this country because of the garbage, miasma, bushes, faeces and filth that overrun most of the ten regions of Guyana during the twelve years of Mr. Jagdeo's rule.
How do the people at this dinner feel when they go home and see their spouses and children? What goes through their minds when they know that family members can easily pick up a deadly disease in Guyana just walking through a street in downtown Georgetown, a situation created by the very man that they rose from their seats to clap? We must be afraid at this moment of the danger of Ebola. Ebola makes the AIDS virus look like a joke.
I return to an observation I made in a column last week. No human should wish illness and death to another. But could you sympathize with people who are so cruel that they court their own death and that of their family for thirty pieces of silver? Is Ebola coming to Guyana?
Posted by | October 16, 2014, 9:11 am
The PPP has fallen in popularity all across the country
In Guyana like in many other countries, life has many good things for one to enjoy. The problem is that most of these good things can be acquired only by sacrificing other good things. Most Guyanese have recognized this in their daily lives. But it is only in the PPP that this simple, commonsense fact is routinely ignored.
The plunge of the President and the PPP's popularity as illustrated throughout the country has confirmed what has been widely known for several months now. Indeed, the news of the PPP's fall from grace is discussed in the markets, banks, barbershops, supermarkets, and in other diverse places where ordinary Guyanese have unscripted and unvarnished conversations about their worsening financial state and deplorable living standards.
The level of despair across the country is profound. Thousands, especially they youths are out of work, many for years, and are surviving by the goodwill of family who are only marginally better off economically than themselves. A large section of the population is marginalized by the PPP and thousands, who have no economic alternatives, constantly check their cellphones with an obsessive-like expectation for a message to confirm that a US$20 or a US$50 has been sent by a relative or a friend in the Diaspora to buy food or send their children to school for a few more days.
The fact that 65 per cent of Guyanese are saying that unemployment is their most pressing problem takes no great leap of imagination to digest. They see it and feel it every day; the social malaise that is the natural consequence of high unemployment in Guyana is there for all to see — except, of course, the blind political gang at Freedom House whose noses are tightly fastened in the trough.
While some of the PPP spin doctors blame poor communication for the precipitous plunge in popularity of the president and the PPP, they seem not to understand a single reality. That is, they cannot continue to communicate pie in the sky and achieve the political result of fooling all the people all the time. Most people, especially supporters of the PPP, will ultimately believe what they feel in their pockets and see in their dinner plates more than the PPP propaganda.
While the PPP cabal speaks glowingly of the net international reserves and the economy being in good shape, the poor are starving and others are dying at the public hospitals due to a shortage of qualified and experienced doctors and a crumbling health care system. Thousands are struggling to pay their electric bills, not because of 'wutlessness' but because the minority PPP regime seems preoccupied with four things: kick-backs, propaganda, distortions and untruths.
People by the thousands are beginning to ask: How can we benefit from all the sacrifices we have made? When will we begin to see improvements in our own personal lives? What has happened to the 10,000 jobs promised by Mr. Ramotar during the 2011 election campaign? And several students are wondering whether they have wasted their time and their parents' money at UG.
Applications are being sent by the hundreds, only to be told that the position has been taken. Is this the 'New Guyana' that Jagdeo built? The people are desperate for real opportunities, real jobs where they can earn near decent salaries to afford a decent standard of living for themselves and their families. But cronyism and nepotism have infected all the institutions, with few if any exceptions.
This type of politics determines who gets what, when and where—the cushy jobs, the best contracts, government favours and the economic and financial connections. The current economic policies being vigorously pursued by the PPP regime are flawed, in that they have not enabled people to escape their poverty.
The PPP has so far demonstrated little in the way of ability to take Guyana forward. Its inability to collect garbage in Georgetown and across the country, provide decent and timely medical care, provide proper education, offer security and protection for the most vulnerable of its citizens, and create an environment that facilitates the pursuit of happiness, confirms its utter failure.
If Guyana is to emerge from the doldrums in which it finds itself because of the PPP, it needs a new government; one that is capable to build and grow the economy, create jobs, reduce crime and corruption, restore hope and confidence among the people and radically change the constitutional arrangements that are in place.
The facts speak for themselves. The goal is not only to save the country, but also to save the lives of the men and women who toil very hard every day and who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that is spent carelessly means that their lives will be so much more impoverished. But every dollar saved and spent prudently means that their lives will be so much more abundant.
Asquith Rose and Harish Singh
Posted by | October 16, 2014, 11:48 am
Shame on the Gov't and Sattaur, ESPECIALLY "Champion of Dirt" Bharrat Jagdeo! …
Your article exposes this evil plot of the Government and the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Mr. Khurshid Sattaur, to destroy Kaieteur News, and its owner, Mr. Glenn Lall. (Kaieteur News /22/9/14¯Sattaur addresses issue of plot to destroy Kaieteur News…Newspaper provides the evidence)
Historically, media have always won out against governments because they have enormous power to influence the public in ways governments cannot even begin to imagine. In fact, it is said that media can make or break a government. Perhaps, this is what is motivating the government and their cohorts to strike against Kaieteur News and Stabroek News.
The evil attempts by this desperate regime will fall by the wayside, and the plotters of those nasty schemes will be ensnared by their own cunning devices.
However, this latest attempt brings to the fore the fact that the government is willing and ready to do anything to prevent further exposure of their corruption because it is affecting their chances of staying in power.
As a result, critics of the PPP government used to be very careful because there appears to be a wider plan by the group at Freedom House, to not only tarnish the character of those who are fighting for good governance, and democracy and exposing the government, but also to drive fear in them to prevent them from continuing to expose the corruption and its attendant evil visited upon this nation by the PPP government. This corruption seen in their mega projects has placed a very heavy burden on us and our children, for decades to come. Long after we would have departed this life, our children will be saddled with repaying monies which this government took in the form of loans.
Nevertheless, Kaieteur News must continue to do its work, and to be the guardian of the state, to hold the government accountable to the people, and to keep the public informed. Guyanese will always be grateful to Kaieteur News and particularly Mr. Lall for the good job he is doing for all citizens of Guyana.
I wonder how those involved felt when they saw the published email messages.
Shame on the Commissioner General, shame on Bharrat Jagdeo, shame on the Attorney General and shame on the PPP Government!
Michael Bobb
Posted by | October 16, 2014, 11:58 am
Dem gat three types of scamps …
Donald seh he know that dem gat three kind of people. There are those that are scamps; those that aspire to be scamps; and those that mek demself an ass by being a scamp. "Champion of Dirt" Bharrat Jagdeo! in de first group, Anil in de second and guess who is de last one.
Dem boys hear that since Cee fuh Satar come back from SPANE, he extremely quiet. Nobody hearing a word. And what is even more strange de man ain't jumping up, he not kicking floor and not knocking window.
Dem also hear that he stop reading he morning prayer at home. He don't come out pun he verandah no more.
Dem boys hear that de day before he lef he give Cee fuh Ceelee instructions. He tell him to "loss away an officer in one of dem interior location."
De Chapwoman tell dem boys that she hear when Cee fuh Ceelee tell Cee fuh Satar,"You create a monster; tame it youself."
Cee fuh Satar was leffing de country de next day suh he couldn't argue. He come back and like he get dumb. De boys not certain if is because he officers ignoring he or because he see heself alone pun a runaway train.
Dem boys seh that before all this trouble he announce wid pride to he padnahs in crime. "Remember that we are all in this thing together." Well de sh*t hit de fan and he padnahs in crime rip out de brakes and jump off de runaway train wid he alone inside.
Dem boys hear that he padnahs now turn back pun him and seh that he got to go. Dem boys see de BBM message that seh suh. Dem also seh that he really put de party in a bad spotlight.
No politician like to have anything negative especially when election around de corner. So smell de coffee Cee fuh Satar. Pack you suitcase; don't pack bags.
Talk half and nevah try to mek youself an ass.
Posted by | October 16, 2014, 1:17 pm
US Gov't should investigate Ed Ahmad, ESPECIALLY "Champion of Dirt" Bharrat Jagdeo! … to see if he breached the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Has the US government investigated whether Ed Ahmad's actions and the actions of those connected to him in Guyana breached any provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act?
The US Department of Justice's website states as follows on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA): "Since 1977, the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA have applied to all U.S. persons and certain foreign issuers of securities. With the enactment of certain amendments in 1998, the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA now also apply to foreign firms and persons who cause, directly or through agents, an act in furtherance of such a corrupt payment to take place within the territory of the United States."
The overview on the Department of Justice website also states "Specifically, the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA prohibit the willful use of the mails or any means of instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of any offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment of money or anything of value to any person, while knowing that all or a portion of such money or thing of value will be offered, given or promised, directly or indirectly, to a foreign official to influence the foreign official in his or her official capacity, induce the foreign official to do or omit to do an act in violation of his or her lawful duty, or to secure any improper advantage in order to assist in obtaining or retaining business for or with, or directing business to, any person."
Ed Ahmad is leased prime real estate belonging to the PPP's Mirror newspaper office at Ruimveldt at what appears to be a lower than market rate or value, not to mention access to lands that the Jagans would never have allowed. Then there were questions surrounding the below market value acquisition of real estate holdings acquired by Ahmad on the West Coast Demerara.
It is public knowledge that some in Guyana received goods from Ed Ahmad. Ed Ahmad is now under investigation for fraud in the USA. Clearly, he was on the US authorities' radar.
In light of these questions, many of which were publicly canvassed and raised, the US Embassy would be derelict in its duties to not refer these matters to the US Department of Justice for that department to determine whether any breaches of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act occurred.
Specifically, the US Embassy and the US Department of Justice should be assessing whether any of Ahmad's actions are corrupt under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and whether any foreigners caused an act in furtherance of any corrupt payment to occur within US territory. This could simply be a telephone conversation between Ahmad and a foreigner in which the foreigner demands certain favours in return for providing an advantage to Ahmad. It could be an amount paid to an agent of the foreigner such as a family member or friend by Ahmad.
Ed Ahmad is in plea bargaining with the US Government. This is as good a time for these questions to be raised with him. It is shallow and hypocritical for the US Embassy to demand local government elections in defence of democracy, a perfectly reasonable demand, when there are areas of inquiry in this country that require equal pursuit by the long arm of the US justice system.
To demand democracy without shaking the foundations that underpin the despotism utilizing the tools available to it, becomes a pointless exercise. The USA cannot want a cessation of drug trafficking in Guyana to directly protect its citizens, a noble desire, and yet not fully explore every avenue to attack and confront the officialdom of Guyana that either actively encourages this scourge or adopts a wilful blindness to it.
If nothing else, ISIS has exposed the problem of tiptoeing around a problem when direct and merciless confrontation of it is required. Failed state Guyana is not only a haven for drug traffickers, it will be for radicals seeking safe havens to hide when the might of US pressure bears down on them.
There are tools available to the ABC countries that can be used to bring immense pressure on a regime that directly harms the lives of their citizenry with a brazen laxness to drug trafficking. Use them! Stop the pussyfooting!
It is not interference for the US government to investigate Ed Ahmad under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It is perfectly within its right – just as it is normal for ABC countries to suspend the visas of the PPP regime to send a powerful message to it. Or to investigate those dual citizens and residents within the regime who may be committing crimes or engaged in actions that are in breach of laws in the ABC countries, to see if their citizenship or residency should be revoked or they should face prosecution in those ABC countries.
M. Maxwell
Posted by | October 16, 2014, 12:11 pm
"Champion of Dirt" Bharrat Jagdeo, not credible to talk about the "Green Opportunity"
Dear Editor,
It is obvious that private citizen DR. BHARAT JAGDEO does not want Guyanese to be oblivious or not to know what is happening in the rest of the world because in his words, they will miss out on this "GREEN OPPORTUNITY." DR. BHARAT JAGDEO wants Guyanese to support him and his PPP cabal on the Amaila Falls Hydro project which he claims is the biggest Green Opportunity for Guyana. But one thing the DR. should know is that the people do not trust him or believe him because how can he call himself the "champion of the earth" but allow Georgetown, once dubbed the Garden City to become the garbage city.
We fully agree with the principle that Guyana desperately needs non-fossil fuel renewable energy sources but not because the country is desperate to have hydro power it should do anything or pay any price to have it and give up on the principle of accountability and transparency.
Similarly, not because a family is desperate for a child they will go and steal the neighbor's child. It is not that hydro power is not good for Guyana but more importantly, the people should know how it is acquired and implemented, who to implement it and at what cost to the taxpayers. These are all fair questions which the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal had refused to answer before Sithe Global pulled out of the deal.
One thing is certain and that is such a huge project cannot be entrusted to the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime to execute because they are shrouded in secrecy in terms of administering contracts. Also they cannot be trusted because of their failure with the Skeldon Sugar factory, the Specialty Hospital and the Marriott Hotel which the PPP is yet to tell the people who the private investor is.
We want to remind the people, especially the supporters of the PPP, that the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime was entrusted with G$45 billion of the taxpayer's money to build the Skeldon Sugar factory and what did they do?
They spent all the money in a most unaccountable and non-transparent manner and provided the nation with a Chinese-built Skeldon Sugar factory that is performing worse than the retired 60 year old factory inherited from Bookers?
So Dr. Bharat Jagdeo can talk all he wants but he has no credibility left and cannot be trusted and therefore should not be allowed to spend another dime of the taxpayers' money on any project.
Furthermore, he has earned the reputation of having poor financial judgment and is highly incompetent in the execution of capital projects which too often have ended up with the contractor leaving with hundreds of millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money with little or no legal recourse.
Fip Motilall ran away with G$600 million; Surendra Engineering with G$800 million and the Chinese Company that built Skeldon Sugar Factory with G$550 million in unfinished remedial works within the contract liability period. And we can go on and on.
We believe that DR. BHARAT JAGDEO should continue to sell his snake oil but only to the petit bourgeoisie in the Private Sector.
They would be more willing to FALL IN LINE FOR Dr. JAGDEO hatched scheme.
Asquith Rose and Harish Singh.
Posted by | October 17, 2014, 10:46 am
Marriott's Chinese workers caught dumping drums of waste oil at seawall … ANOTHER DASTARDLY LEGACY OF THE MOST_EVIL "Champion of Dirt" Bharrat Jagdeo …
An investigation is to be launched into the dumping of oil into the Atlantic Ocean by
Chinese workers at Marriott Hotel construction site in Kingston yesterday.
The incident saw a clash between three workers and personnel of the nearby location of the army's Coast Guard.
Contacted yesterday, Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, said he is unaware of the incident and will be liaising with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).
The dumping was discovered by two tourists who were in the area to check out works at the Marriott-branded hotel.
They said around mid-afternoon, after viewing the construction, they went around the back of the site, at the western end which borders the Atlantic Ocean.
There they saw three workers with a blue drum dumping what appeared to be oil in the Atlantic Ocean.
After seeing the two tourists, the Chinese workers stopped what they were doing. The tourists decided to back away and, from a vantage point, observed a bulldozer taking more drums to the dumpsite.
The incident was captured on video with several photographs taken.
Shortly after, a Coast Guard rank that was in the compound of his workplace, which adjoins the
Marriott's property, saw what was happening.
He went over and demanded that the workers stop what they were doing. The workers appeared to be reluctant. However, the rank insisted that the drums be covered.
The matter was reported to the Commander of the Coast Guard.
The angry tourists said they were contacting the media on the oil dumping.
They followed through and dropped off the videos and photos at Kaieteur News.
On the videos, the three workers were seen leaving the drums and entering the Marriott compound. On the ground, near the gates, were several other blue drums. There was spilt oil on the ground.
When this newspaper visited the scene yesterday, three drums with oil in them were still lying near to the sea defence wall. There was clear evidence of oil on the wall.
According to Minister Benn, it is not environmentally safe to dump oil. He said that it is unlikely permission was given to do so.
Kaieteur News has offered to share the videos and photographs with the authorities.
The Marriott-branded hotel, a five-star facility, has been hailed by Government as a project that will help boost the country's tourism sector.
However, the "public/private" project has been battling questions over its investors.
A court case has been filed by a civic group demanding that Government be barred from transferring the lands on which the hotel stands.
Posted by | October 21, 2014, 11:40 am
This CARICATURE, foisted upon Guyana as "Champion of the Earth". But more as, "Champion of Dirt" Bharrat Jagdeo, has NO CREDIBILITY WHATSOEVER to talk about the "Green Opportunity" or ANYTHING concerning Guyana.
S/he is a UN-PATRIOTIC TRAITOR, CRIMINAL, THIEF AND MEGALOMANIAC.
S/he IS SO ENAMORED WITH ITSELF. S/he HAD HE/R MINIONS NOMINATED HE/RSELF FOR " HONORARY TITLES" JUST TO MAKE H/SELF RELEVANT.
Posted by | October 21, 2014, 11:42 am
Accounting body launches probe against GRA's Chief over tax info leaks …
A local accounting body that has powers to censure its members has activated systems to investigate complaints
against head of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur.
The Commissioner-General is accused of abusing his office and breaching secrecy regulations by leaking confidential information on a taxpayer.
In this case, the taxpayer is the National Media and Publishing Company, which publishes Kaieteur News.
Earlier this month, the newspaper's Publisher, Glenn Lall, filed an official complaint with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana (ICAG).
Any negative findings against the embattled head by the body will definitely have a long-term impact on his professional standing and credibility within the accounting community.
ICAG, in a reply to the complaint yesterday sent to the newspaper, and addressed to Lall, said that it has received the formal complaint, based on a letter dated October 7th. The body disclosed that indeed, the Commissioner-General is one of its members.
"The Council of the Institute considered the contents of your letter and the associated attachment at its meeting of 14th October 2014. It has been agreed that the matter will be referred to the Investigations Committee of the Institute in accordance with our bye-laws (sic)."
According to ICAG, the Investigations Committee will be communicating with the Publisher on the matter and subsequently on the status and conclusion.
ICAG is a public interest body whose objects include the promotion and increase of the proficiency of its members and students, regulation of the conduct of its members and students and promotion of the accountancy profession.
It is not often that one hears about a complaint against a member of the accounting profession. This one has significance because it involves the head of the country's tax collection agency.
The official complaint, which was prompted by the illegal release of confidential tax information, said that Sattaur is guilty of misconduct in office by his acts.
Lall said that Sattaur, as a Chartered Accountant, was in breach of a statutory Declaration of Secrecy, and of the law, when he provided information concerning the tax affairs of several newspaper publishing companies to former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, in September.
The Publisher, in his complaint to ICAG, also included copies of leaked emails that Sattaur had exchanged with Jagdeo and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.
"While only of tangential importance, the emails demonstrate that Mr. Sattaur, who is the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, is using his position in an improper manner amounting to professional misconduct," the complaint by Lall indicated.
"In view of the seriousness of this matter and the impact it has on the reputation of the accountancy profession for probity, integrity and professionalism, I would welcome prompt action to address my complaint."
Those emails, published over recent weeks by this newspaper, revealed a shocking plot by top Government officials, in collaboration with Sattaur, to go after a number of private newspapers and news entities that have been highly critical of projects and the way taxpayers' dollars are being spent.
Kaieteur News has been at the brunt of the offence by Government which has been under increasing criticisms for a
number of questionable contracts and deals with investors.
By law, GRA is bound to keep secret, tax and other financial information filed by taxpayers.
There has been widespread condemnation after those revelations of the tax leaks, with questions asked about which other businesses may have suffered.
Sattaur had become angry after the newspaper published a report which questioned the appropriateness of his three children and other relatives working under him in key positions at that state agency. He admitted in those emails sent September that he had used the threat of tax audits to successfully silence Frederick Kissoon, a popular, long-standing columnist in Kaieteur News.
GRA had also reportedly leaked sensitive tax information regarding Kaieteur News to the Guyana Chronicle, the state-owned newspaper, which was also used in a systematic attack on Kaieteur News.
A complaint against Sattaur has also been filed with international press bodies.
The Opposition has signaled intentions to have Sattaur investigated by Parliament for those tax leaks to the former President. There have also been several calls for him to resign.
Earlier this month, GRA, led by Sattaur, filed private criminal charges against Lall and his wife after seizing two SUVs belonging to a remigrant couple who are family friends of the Publisher.
GRA contends that the Lalls are the real owner. However, the Publisher made it clear that he and his wife would normally use the vehicles as part of a fleet, in face of security concerns.
The charges, and an increasing number of lawsuits as well as the emails, are strong evidence of Government backing a plan to silence an outspoken newspaper, Lall said.
Posted by | October 22, 2014, 10:40 am
Here are more EVIDENCE instigated by "Champion of Dirt" Bharrat Jagdeo.
Trying to shut down Kaieteur News. Just because KN is OUTING these VINDICTIVE LOWLIFE SCUMBAGS for their collective TREASONOUS UNPATRIOTIC CORRUPT TREACHEROUS behavior.
Which includes, BRIBERY; SYNDICATED DRUGS RUNNING; MONEY LAUNDERING; THEFT FROM Guyana'S Treasury for PERSONAL ENRICHMENT and such like. AMONG MANY MANY OTHER ATROCIOUS ACTIVITIES.
Freedom-of-the-Press; The Rule-of-law and Constitutional Mandates for jackdeo & it's MINIONS (Sattaur & Anil Nandlall) are BETRAYED everyday because of their VINDICTIVENESS.
Posted by | October 22, 2014, 10:41 am
Sattaur faces lifetime ban if found guilty
…ACCA could withdraw its Intl. certification -Accountant
If found guilty in local court of law of any kind of criminal wrong doing or fraud, Commissioner General of the Guyana
Revenue Authority, Khurshid Sattaur, faces possible lifetime blacklisting by the international Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
This is according to a prominent local Accountant, who speaking on the condition of anonymity, explained that following the launch of an investigation into Sattaur's action by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana (ICAG), a report will be filed with ACCA.
It was noted that the ACCA will act based on the results of the ICAG findings but will also be looking to see the outcome of any court proceedings involving Sattaur, or whether any private civil action would be taken against him.
It was explained that if it is found that the Commissioner General did in fact breach the Oath of Office he swore to as it relates to the confidentiality of tax information, then the ACCA would be able to act and levy sanctions.
The Commissioner-General is accused of abusing his office and breaching secrecy regulations by leaking confidential information on a taxpayer.
Earlier this month, Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, filed an official complaint with ICAG, and the accounting body has since launched an investigation.
ICAG, in a reply to Lall this past week, said that it has received the formal complaint, based on a letter dated October 7th.
"The Council of the Institute considered the contents of your letter and the associated attachment at its meeting of 14th October 2014. It has been agreed that the matter will be referred to the Investigations Committee of the Institute in accordance with our by-laws (sic)."
According to ICAG, the Investigations Committee will be communicating with the Publisher on the matter and
Bharrat Jagdeo subsequently on the status and conclusion.
ICAG is a public interest body whose objectives include the promotion and increase of the proficiency of its members and students, regulation of the conduct of its members and students and promotion of the accountancy profession.
Lall in his complaint to the local accounting body, included copies of leaked emails that Sattaur had exchanged with former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.
"While only of tangential importance, the emails demonstrate that Mr. Sattaur, who is the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, is using his position in an improper manner amounting to professional misconduct," the complaint by Lall indicated.
"In view of the seriousness of this matter and the impact it has on the reputation of the accountancy profession for probity, integrity and professionalism, I would welcome prompt action to address my complaint."
Those emails, published over recent weeks by this newspaper, revealed a shocking plot by top Government officials, in collaboration with Sattaur, to go after a number of private newspapers and news entities that have been highly critical of projects, and the way taxpayers' dollars are being spent.
Kaieteur News has been at the brunt of the offence by Government which has been under increasing criticisms for a number of questionable contracts and deals with investors.
By law, GRA is bound to keep secret, tax and other financial information filed by taxpayers.
There has been widespread condemnation after those revelations of the tax leaks, with questions asked about which other businesses may have suffered.
Sattaur had become angry after the newspaper published a report which questioned the appropriateness of his three children and other relatives working under him in key positions at that state agency. He admitted in those emails sent September, that he had used the threat of tax audits to successfully silence Frederick Kissoon, a popular, long-standing columnist in Kaieteur News.
GRA had also reportedly leaked sensitive tax information regarding Kaieteur News to the Guyana Chronicle, the state-owned newspaper, which was also used in a systematic attack on Kaieteur News.
Sattaur, by way of email, had also leaked the sensitive tax information on Kaieteur News and Stabroek News among other media houses to the Former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Earlier this month, GRA, led by Sattaur, filed private criminal charges against Lall and his wife after seizing two SUVs belonging to a remigrant couple who are family friends of the publisher.
GRA contends that the Lalls are the real owner. However, the publisher made it clear that he and his wife would normally use the vehicles as part of a fleet, in face of security concerns.
The charges, and an increasing number of lawsuits as well as the emails, are strong evidence of Government backing a plan to silence an outspoken newspaper, Lall said.
Posted by | October 23, 2014, 1:59 pm
Here is the evidence collected by Kaieteur News
This e-mail correspondence between Bharrat Jagdeo and GRA's Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur, has been redacted to comply with the Laws of Guyana
From: khurshid sattaur (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Sent: Mon 9/15/14 12:18 PM
To: Nandalall (email@example.com)
Dear AG
I provided the former President with information which I would expect he treats with the utmost confidentiality. Since we are in this thing together, I see no harm in sharing this with you. However further to the assurances you have given me that the Government will be pursuing the newspaper for libel and other offences of a criminal nature, I will await the determination of such action before I provide you with the details on Kaieteur News. Of course I am deeply indebted to the Government for the confidence it places in me to continue to execute my duties as CG.
I spoke with the honorable BJ and he suggested that the recent outrageous article published on me should for "media purposes" be attributed to the impending major audit of the Kaieteur News which in his usual irregular and surreptitious manner the newspaper was able to uncover.
Please note however, unless there is a major gag order from the court with a threat of maximum imprisonment I am not prepared to have this most recent proposed action made public. This as they say in proverbial language is likely to break the camel's back and the individual may go berserk
All for your information and necessary action
K Sattaur
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
Posted by | October 23, 2014, 2:01 pm
Here are more EVIDENCE of plans to shut down FREEDOM-OF-SPEECH AND THE-PRESS:
This is how these COWARDS, "COW-SHIT SATTAUR"; the "INCOMPETENT AG anil Oh'nandlall"; MHA "Rohee-HEE-HAW; THE MOST_EVIL "Champion of Dirt" Bharrat Jagdeo, OPERATE WITHOUT ANY SHAME.
These EVIL HYPOCRITES; COWARDLY COMMON DEBAUCHED MESMERIC EVIL, IMMORAL, CORRUPT VILLAINOUS CRIMINALS, LAIRS & THIEVES. WHO ARE QUICK TO hide under the skirt of the courts. To THREATEN, INTIMIDATE AND COERCE "legal action". Just to stifle FREEDOM-OF-SPEECH AND THE-PRESS.
As well as, ANYONE, ESPECIALLY Kaieteur or Stabroek News. WHOM DARE BRING THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH of the NEWS OF THEIR SHENANIGANS OF BRIBERY; SYNDICATED DRUGS RUNNING; MONEY LAUNDERING; THEFT FROM Guyana'S Treasury for PERSONAL ENRICHMENT and such like. AMONG THEIR MANY MANY OTHER NEFARIOUS ATROCIOUS ACTIVITIES.
THEY KNOW THEY WILL GET "PROTECTION" FROM THOSE SO CALLED "ACTING JUSTICES" Ian Chang; Carl Singh AMONG OTHERS.
WHOM ARE TOTALLY BOUGHT AND PAID FOR ON THE CHEAP. AND WHOM HAS 'the sword of demacles (sic) hang over their collective heads", AS "ACTING JUSTICES" AND WHO CAN BE FIRED AT WILL, IF THEY DO NOT TOW THE LINE.
Posted by | October 23, 2014, 2:02 pm
Minister slams "dishonest" Guyana Times report on Glenn Lall – a most disturbing piece of "extrapolation"
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has slammed the Guyana Times newspaper, owned by former
President Bharrat Jagdeo and a close friend, Dr. Ranjisinghi 'Bobby' Ramroop, over a report regarding the remigrant duty free scheme.
According to the Minister, the newspapers dishonestly twisted her words in a report published yesterday under the headline – "Remigrant scheme scam… Keep scheme, convict, jail fraudsters until Glen Lall, other matters completed- Minister"
Guyana Times, along with the state-owned Guyana Chronicle has been on a smear campaign against Kaieteur News.
Yesterday, the Minister took to her FaceBook page to clarify the Guyana Times report in which a reporter, Jomo Paul, had apparently asked a number of questions pertaining to the re-migrant scheme.
The full text of the Minister's statement reads: "I read the article in today's Guyana Times which carried a very eye catching caption- "Remigrant scheme scam… Keep scheme, convict, jail fraudsters, until Glen Lall, other matters completed – Minister." To tell the Guyanese public that I as Minister have said that we must "Keep scheme, convict, jail fraudsters" is totally dishonest and a most disturbing piece of extrapolation by the Guyana Times. Moreover, I did not engage in naming anyone since it should be noted that the audit started long before any individual issue came to light. I was also very clear in my written response to Mr. Jomo Paul that the audit will be instructive in how we move forward. This type of journalism makes me sad when I know what we are capable of."
The scheme, which allows overseas-based Guyanese to return home and bring in vehicles and other assets without
having to pay the normal taxes, has been coming under increasing scrutiny.
Remigrants have to apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to become eligible for the scheme, and then the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has to approve the tax waivers.
In recent weeks, following startling disclosures that GRA's Commissioner-General, Khurshid Sattaur has three of his children working under him at that tax collection agency, the attacks on Kaieteur News have been on the increase.
Sattaur was also angry after he was asked by this newspaper about duty free concessions he granted to Chinese logging company, Bai Shan Lin. Some of the vehicles included Lexus and Infiniti SUVs. Under the regulations, vehicles have to be consistent with the investments being made and this appears not to be the case with the Chinese company.
In a move seen as a retaliation and strike to shut down the newspaper, GRA descended on the home of a remigrant couple in late August, seizing two vehicles that they had brought in. The vehicles in question were used by the Publisher of the Kaieteur News and his wife, who are close friends of the two remigrants. There is nothing in the law stopping a re-migrant, who has been granted concessions on a vehicle, from lending it to another person.
Nevertheless, the GRA filed private criminal charges against Glenn Lall and his wife, Bhena, saying that they evaded taxes, among other things.
In September, a number of shocking emails came to light in which Sattaur shared tax information on Kaieteur News and other media houses with former President Bharat Jagdeo. It was viewed by many experts as a clear breach by the GRA's boss of the country's secrecy laws regarding tax information; information which Sattaur had himself said cannot be released.
The emails spoke of a plot to silence Kaieteur News, using audits by the GRA.
Sattaur, in the emails, admitted that he had used the threat of audits successfully against Freddie Kissoon, a popular columnist with the Kaieteur News who received up to nine tax assessments at one time.
Complaints against Sattaur have been filed by Lall with the local and international accounting bodies, to initiate investigations to determine whether the official abused his office and professional ethics that he is sworn to uphold.
The Opposition has sworn to have Parliament also address the issue with the Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, demanding that Sattaur step down in face of the revelations.
Yesterday, calls to the Minister's office and to her mobile were not immediately returned.
Posted by | October 23, 2014, 2:16 pm
Diwali expose Jagdeo and Bobby
Is strange how people does ignore dem commandments. And every religion got de same commandments. People does usually break all but two of dem does get break most.
Dem boys know from experience that people does break de one bout adultery and de one bout thiefing AND BUGGERING. Nobody could blame Jagdeo fuh adultery but…
Dem boys hear that he like things in twos but he does cling more to one than de other. He got two left hand, he born wid one and then he got Kwame as de other one. He born wid one right hand and Bobby is de other one.
Dem boys ain't sure if he is right hand or left hand—Bobby or Kwame. The Good Book always seh that one must care fuh people over things but when you watch how Jagdeo does deal wid Kwame and Bobby you got to wonder whether he care fuh, dem or fuh wha dem got and what dem can do.
Bobby can act as a funnel fuh money while Kwame is just a funnel. Jagdeo does use he right hand and left hand when he want and how he want. He got Kwame mekking mischief pun TV and Bobby mekking mischief in ee newspaper and radio.
He using de paper, de TV and de radio to instigate mischief against de Waterfalls boss man. Things meet de stage that Bobby getting people who write things wha ain't even happen.
Dem write how a Government Minister seh how de Waterfalls boss man should go to jail. De Minister nearly drop dead when she read in Bobby toilet paper something wha she never seh.
She had to tell de whole world through she facebook that Bobby wicked and dishonest. Dem boys been telling de nation all de time that he and de clique dishonest from long, suh when de Minister seh suh she only remind people.
Bobby even tell lie pun de police and de DPP. De police come out right away and seh how Bobby lie. It got to be that Bobby suh in love wid Glenn Lall that he doing anything fuh ketch de attention of de police and de DPP.
And all this happening at Diwali, a time when good does always triumph over evil and light over darkness. And all Guyana know now who good and who evil; and dem know who represent de light and who hiding in darkness.
Happy Diwali.
Posted by | October 23, 2014, 2:31 pm
More EVIDENCE!!! MAKING THE CRIMINAL NEWS AGAIN!!! OF THEIR NEFARIOUS CRIME SYNDICATED OPERATIONS … WITH HIS CRIME_ PUSSY GANG, BEING REVEALED,
This time, THE_MOST_EVIL "jag_de_ho", BUGGA_BATTY CACK_SUCKIN_BOY/GIRL_FRIEND, "ranjisinghi "Bobby" ramroop". AS WELL AS, "kurdish "COW-SHIT"_sattaur".
Posted by | October 26, 2014, 9:08 am
Bobby Ramroop in spotlight for failing to file tax returns
Dr Ranjisinghi 'Bobby' Ramroop is again in the media spotlight this time for failing to file tax returns on one of the many companies in which he holds a majority interest – Olive Branch Inc.
Registered in October, 2009, the company was struck off the list of Companies in March this year for failing to file its tax returns.
Olive Branch has its registered office as 233 Camp Street, Georgetown and at the time had as its sole Director, Dr
Roopnarine Ravie Ramcharitar, was appointed the Company Secretary the following year.
Ramcharitar serves as a Director on a number of companies in which Dr. Ramroop has a financial interest.
Attorney-at-Law, Paul Braam was engaged, also, in the formation of the company.
Four years ago, Guyana Times, Health Life Sciences Inc, Health Care International, Global Textile (Guyana) Inc, Global Printing and Graphics and Global Hardware Inc., were all struck off the list of registrants
The Official Gazette of Guyana had documented that they have all been struck off of the list of companies and as such were at the time all currently operating in breach of the Companies Act of Guyana.
This would mean that Olive Branch Inc, for all intents and purposes is currently a legally inactive company.
Companies are struck off the register of companies for a variety of reasons, among them failing to file their annual returns, providing necessary information as it relates to changes within the company.
The companies can be allowed back onto the register but will have to file the necessary annual returns and pay an $800 fee.
Chartered Account and Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram at the time had stated that while the Companies Act is silent on penalties when companies are found to be in breach of the law, the Directors can be held personally accountable.
All of the named companies that were struck off of the register of companies at the time fall under the Queens Atlantic Investments Incorporated (QAII) which acquired the Sanata Textiles Complex in 2008.
The issue of these new companies attracted the involvement of the National Assembly. To justify the tax concessions granted to them, the government moved to the National Assembly with a Bill. The Memorandum of Understanding that allowed for the acquisition of the Sanata Complex was signed between Dr. Ranjisinghi "Bobby" Ramroop, the Chairman of QAII and Geoffrey Da Silva, Chief Executive Officer for the Guyana Office for Investment in March 2008.
The company was allowed several hundred million dollars in tax breaks and concessions which were all found to be illegal. The laws were subsequently amended to correct the situation.
A special tax seminar was held after President Bharrat Jagdeo had berated Chairman of the Board of Directors of DDL, Dr. Yesu Persaud. At that forum, Da Silva had stated, "We made a mistake."
He was referring to the legality of the concessions granted to QAII. He said that they thought it was covered in law.
Alliance For Change Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan had told the National Assembly when the law was amended that the "QAII deal stinks to high heavens."
Posted by | October 26, 2014, 9:09 am
Auditor General should investigate Sattaur's vehicle…GRA boss imports Prado for $1.5M
There seems to be varying tax charges for the same type of vehicle and these charges GRA appear to be levied according to whom the person is.
The Legal Affairs Ministry imported one used 2010 Toyota Jeep Land Cruiser acquired at a cost of $7.2 million. The vehicle with a 2TR engine capacity of 2693 cc was registered on August 22, 2013.
This vehicle enjoyed full tax exemption having been imported for a Government Ministry.
An identical vehicle imported by Kwame Gilbert, a Member of Parliament, was a 2011 model which was declared at a cost of $7.4 million. This vehicle was registered on April 1, 2014. This vehicle also enjoyed full tax exemption.
A third, similar vehicle, but a 2010 model, like the one imported by the Legal Affairs Ministry was imported by
Khurshid Sattaur in his personal capacity, was declared at a cost of just under $1.5 million. It was registered on April 29, 2013.
Online checks revealed that the average price of such vehicles ranges from US$31,000 to US$40,000.
Sattaur is the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority. He is not entitled to full tax exemption. His vehicle attracted a 30 per cent import tax.
The declared cost was some 80 per cent less than the other two identical vehicles which were declared at $7.2 million and $7.4 million respectively.
Had the Legal Affairs Ministry and MP Gilbert been asked to pay the 30 per cent taxes they would have been required to pay $2.1 million.
Sattaur, for a vehicle of same capacity and make, according to his declaration, only paid around $450,000, a quarter of what the others would have paid.
Was Sattaur's vehicle undervalued to escape the higher tax or did Gilbert and the Ministry of Legal Affairs overvalue their imports?
This vehicle should attract the attention of the Auditor General.
Posted by | October 26, 2014, 9:09 am
Sattaur fails to act against corrupt officers
Despite glaring evidence of corruption, the Guyana Revenue Authority appears to be deliberately shielding two
Customs Officers who according to reports are favoured by those at the very top of the organization's administration.
The officers, who were found to be guilty of colluding with a local businessman to defraud the state of taxes, remain on the job and there is no indication that action will be taken against them soon.
This situation flies in the face of Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur, who has been openly boasting that as Head of the GRA, he runs a tight ship and will not tolerate corruption by his officers.
But reliable sources have told this newspaper that the officers fingered in the scam are enjoying the protection of the GRA Commissioner General, who for some strange reason played no part in ordering the probe, although he was fully aware of the scam.
In fact, it was left up to Sattaur's Deputy, Clement Sealey, to initiate action that led to the investigation that exposed the corrupt officers.
The two Customs Officers are accused of facilitating the removal of a quantity of goods from the Laparkan Trading Co. Ltd. Customs Bond located at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri without the payment of applicable customs duty and taxes to the GRA.
An investigation found that the officers accepted a sum of money to allow the businessman to evade taxes.
Claims of Sattaur protecting the officers have not surprised many at the Guyana Revenue Authority.
According to a source, the fact that Sattaur employs his children and close relatives at the GRA, has compromised the professionalism of the tax collection agency.
This stance against the two Customs Officers has angered several senior officials attached to the GRA, who have been observing Sattaur's double standards as it relates to his public position on tax evasion in Guyana, while protecting his own officers found to be engaged in illegal tax evasion.
Following a report by one of the disgruntled officers, who was on duty at the CJIA when the scam occurred and who was left out of the deal, an investigation was launched by GRA's Law Enforcement and Investigation Division (LEID).
During the course of the investigations, the two officers implicated, Phil Surooj and Gordon Richards, both conceded by way of statements to LEID ranks that they facilitated the release of goods unlawfully with no duties being paid.
A bribe of $80,000 is said to be the inducement for the Customs Officers to release the items consigned to a Robb Street business.
When interviewed on July 1, Surooj reportedly told LEID Officers that, during April 2014, he examined and released goods at Amerijet and Laparkan Bonds at the CJIA.
He said that while on duty at Amerijet Bond, he was approached by a Customs Broker, who solicited his help on behalf of Customs Officer Richards and who gave him an Airways Bill consigned to the Robb Street Company, along with $80,000.
According to Surooj, he observed that the cargo listed on the Airways Bill, consigned to the company was plastic trays and he and Kissoon proceeded to Laparkan Bond at CJIA, where they met the Bond Supervisor.
He told investigators that he accompanied the Bond Supervisor and the Customs Broker into the bond, where he observed 12 boxes of old goods but did not examine the goods; neither did he see any Customs documents.
According to Surooj, he then instructed the release of the said goods without the payment of the Customs duty and taxes to GRA and also instructed that the goods be released to the Broker, for which he collected a bribe of $80,000.
Richards in his statement, confessed that on April 9, he met a Customs Broker, who gave him $80,000 wrapped in an Airways bill and indicated that it was to pay his taxes for goods stored in the Laparkan Bond at the CJIA.
Richards said he took the money with the intent of working at Laparkan Bond that day but there was a change of plans and he was instead detailed to work as a cashier for that day.
He said that as the cashier, he was in no position to assist the Broker, so he met with his Assistant and gave him the parcel with the money that he had received the previous day.
The parcel was subsequently returned to the Broker, Richards said.
Richards further stated that he indicated that he was aware that Officer Surooj was on duty at Laparkan and Amerijet Bonds, therefore he contacted him via telephone and requested that he assist the Broker.
When Surooj agreed to help, Richards made arrangements for him to receive the money from the Broker which was done through his assistant.
From the statements given by the two officers, it is clear that they were involved in a transaction that was designed to defraud the state.
It is also believed that they are part of an ongoing scheme that involves the waiving of customs fees for imported good once the price is right.
The subsequent report which was based on the investigations done was reviewed by Wesley Duke, Assistant Commissioner, LEID and Karen Chapman, Deputy Commissioner at GRA who both signed off on the report on September 30 last.
Clement Sealy, the Deputy Commissioner recommended the report and signed off on October 2.
However, although the report was to be approved by Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur, this was not done and it was left up to Sealey to do so on his behalf.
While there has been a recommendation that charges be pursued against all three of the individuals involved, this is yet to be done.
Posted by | October 26, 2014, 9:12 am
Dem boys seh…Sattaur hollering like a li'l gyal
When li'l gyal play wid boy and dem get touch dem does run and holla. That is exactly wha Sattaur doing now.
He send out nuff emails wha dem boys got and wha expose he mind, he body and he soul, plus he heart. He talk about a plan fuh de Waterfalls boss man. He seh that he want see de boss man in jail and he trump up charge through he organisation.
Even de woman who representing he and de Attorney General seh that dem charge nah got no basis. Dem charge was wicked, vindictive and malicious. Dem come from he black and dutty heart.
He didn't stop there. Every day he call pun de police and de DPP fuh trump up more charge against de Boss man. He get Jagdeo newspaper fuh write article bout how de boss man get charge.
Dem boys seh that when you live in glass house don't pelt brick. All de boss man do is write a letter to de people who got a say in whether Sattaur is a good, decent and honest accountant.
De boss man ask dem to find out if Sattaur got ethics, morals and any decency whatsoever.
De body that overlooks all accountants and members to mek sure that dem keep in line write to Sattaur.
Ramesh Persaud as the Chairman of the Investigations Committee of the ICAG order that Sattaur respond to the allegations. De shoes deh pun de other foot and now Sattaur know how it feel. Other people know how it feel when de shoe deh pun de other foot but dem boys gun talk bout it later.
Sattaur know wha he write in de email and he know wha he admit. He tail deh over fire and he can't stand de heat. De balls are about to be burnt.
All of a sudden, because de people ask he fuh answer question, Sattaur seh that dem and de Waterfalls boss man team up against he. Sattaur can't tek he own medicine. He did seh in one of de email from he that dem boys publish, he remind de Attorney General that we are all in this thing together.
Dem boys seh that de ACCA people and de Waterfalls boss man never wuk together; never sleep together. Dem ain't deh in nutten together.
Talk half and let Sattaur holla fuh de other half
Posted by | October 26, 2014, 9:17 am
"kurdish "COW-SHIT"_sattaur", angry over ICAG, ACCA probe against him …
Commissioner-General Khurshid Sattaur, is extremely disturbed over being questioned by the governing bodies for accountants in Guyana.
He is accusing the bodies of a very high level of collusion between members of the Council sub-committee who serve as disciplinary committee members of the local accountancy body and Glenn Lall, owner of the Kaieteur News.
A letter was issued to the Commissioner-General dated October 24, 2014 and signed by Ramesh Persaud as the Chairman of the Investigations Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana
(ICAG), for the Commissioner-General to respond to the allegations.
The disclosure was made after the Council was informed by the Disciplinary Committee following a meeting which was held on October 22 to deliberate on the complaint made by Glenn Lall. The complaint alleged misconduct on the part of Khurshid Sattaur, the Commissioner General.
This revelation comes one day after the Guyana Times carried an article in which the Commissioner-General claimed that he contacted the Institute and spoke with Cardilla Agard, the Administrative Officer of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana.
Sattaur said that the ICAG denied any knowledge of a meeting or decision taken on the matter even though Kaieteur News the very day, had carried a front page article referring to a decision taken to undertake a probe.
Sattaur said that what is extremely irregular and disturbing is the fact that the meeting of the Disciplinary Committee, which according to the letter had deliberations on October 22, had informed the Council of its decision presumably after the meeting was concluded.
Yet this information, according to Sattaur, appeared in the headlines of Kaieteur News of the very day— October 22 edition.
Sattaur said that this is a clear indication that the members of the said disciplinary subcommittee informed Glenn Lall of their decision prior to the meeting and deliberations of the Committee.
Sattaur asked, "The question for both the owner of Kaieteur News and the Members of the Disciplinary Committee of the ICAG is how is it possible for a media outlet to publish the decision by an independent investigative agency one day before it was actually made?
"Further how can the communication to the Commissioner-General be officially made two days after the Kaieteur News printed headlines of the decision when the owner of the newspaper is the complainant?"
Sattaur is also questioning how is it that he is being subjected to disciplinary proceedings by the Council's Disciplinary Committee when he is not engaged in public practice and therefore not subject to the ethics that professional accountants subscribe to.
He said that he is a public servant and carries out a statutory function prescribed in law.
He said that this suggests extreme bias and lack of knowledge of their own bylaws.
Sattaur, in his letter, is calling on the Council to "stop this charade and travesty immediately."
He said that a report is "presently being compiled that will be lodged with the ICAG parent body in the UK pertaining to the highly irregular actions on the part of the members of the local Disciplinary body. Clippings of the newspaper article and letter stating the council's decision made on the very same day will be submitted as evidence."
Sattaur intends to write the ACCA parent body in the UK asking for an investigation to be conducted into "this obvious collusion with the owner of the Kaieteur News to discredit the good name and standing of an outstanding FCA member."
"It would appear also that some of these members may be aiding and abetting the Kaieteur News' alleged reckless behaviour of fraudulent reporting of income and have now joined forces with the newspaper owner to have the Commissioner-General's image tarnished with the hopeful consequence that the audit against Lall will not proceed."
Sattaur, who said that he has nothing to hide, is making a lot of noise about the probe by ICAG.
He now says that he cannot submit himself to an investigation for a very serious offence by a panel comprising Paul Chan a Sue, Khalid Ali and the chairman, Ramesh Persaud.
Sattaur added that to avoid any investigation against him he will have his lawyers consider the possible sanction of the very people who are to investigate him.
He also wants to report what he called their "highly unethical and immoral conduct to their Parent body in the UK for serious misconduct and malpractice and for bringing the noble profession into disrepute."
He made it clear that he wants to avoid any investigation at all cost.
The Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall simply said, "Let the public read the emails. Sattaur is unfit for the office he holds.
And he is a liar."
Posted by | October 26, 2014, 10:55 am
Sattaur collected full retirement package in 2012 – Who authorized his duty free vehicle one year later?
Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur, had his retirement package approved and paid to him in 2012.
He had applied for his retirement package the year before. Today he continues to head the GRA.
Last year, Sattaur imported a 2010 Toyota Jeep Land Cruiser in his personal capacity. The vehicle which was declared at a cost of just under $1.5M, (US$7,500) was registered on April 29, 2013.
Online checks revealed that the average price of such vehicles range from US$31,000 to US$40,000.
All Members of Parliament and judges are exempt from all taxes on the vehicles they import. They are also allowed to import vehicles of an unlimited engine capacity.
Public servants do not enjoy the same privilege as judges and Members of Parliament. They can only import vehicles with an engine capacity of 2,000 cc and under. This can be waived by special permission from Office of the President.
They are not fully tax exempt. They have to pay a percentage of the import tax.
Sattaur, a public official, was not entitled to full tax exemption. His vehicle attracted a 30 percent import tax because of its age. It was under four years old.
In light of the fact that Sattaur collected a handsome retirement package and is now working on contractual terms at the GRA, questions have surfaced as to whether the tax boss is entitled to enjoy another duty free concession of this magnitude.
If so, did Office of the President authorize his importation of vehicle with engine capacity beyond the 2000cc limit for public officials?
Additionally, there have been calls for the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma to investigate Sattaur's vehicle.
The Legal Affairs Ministry imported one used 2010 Toyota Jeep Land Cruiser acquired at a cost of $7.2 million. The vehicle with a 2TR engine capacity of 2693cc was registered on August 22, 2013.
This vehicle enjoyed full tax exemption having been imported for a Government Ministry.
An identical vehicle imported by Kwame Gilbert, a Member of Parliament, was a 2011 model which was declared at a cost of $7.4 million. This vehicle was registered on April 1, 2014. This vehicle also enjoyed full tax exemption.
Sattaur's vehicle is similar to the one imported by the Legal Affairs Ministry. But the declared cost was some 80 per cent less than the other two identical vehicles which were declared at $7.2 million and $7.4 million respectively.
Had the Legal Affairs Ministry and MP Gilbert been asked to pay the 30 per cent taxes they would have been required to pay $2.1 million.
This has caused some observers to question whether Sattaur's vehicle was undervalued to escape the higher tax or did Gilbert and the Ministry of Legal Affairs overvalue their imports.
Posted by | October 27, 2014, 9:52 am
"COW-SHIT"_Sattaur says he imported 'a wreck' …
Dear Editor,
I welcome this opportunity to clarify the obvious and grave misunderstanding that the owner of the newspaper has over my vehicle. I yield willingly to this opportunity as I feel that while ignorance of the law is not an excuse to commit an offence in the law, a certain amount of education on those laws that affects us in our day to day life can avoid us being haunted by our mistakes. Your publisher and owner of the KN would appear to be so haunted by his mistakes, so much so, that he appears now to be overindulging himself with having sensitive information leaked on various taxpayers as demonstrated by the article appearing in today's KN under caption CG imports Prado for $1.5M.
I trust that the Institute (ICAG) is taking serious note of these developments, when and if they are required to pronounce on the complaint made against me. In the meantime I want to assure the honourable AG and honourable MP Gilbert that systems will be investigated and persons interrogated once again to discover where the leaks occur.
I first want to make it clear that taxes on imports are applied on the basis of the CIF value. The Customs value is determined by the acquisition cost and not what a comparison would look like with similar vehicles months after. As such the value of a vehicle acquired new from a showroom (Mr. Lall and the Kaieteur News ought to know this) differs significantly in value from a vehicle that is used and has a significant amount of miles on the odometer and even considerable less if acquired from a salvage firm with considerable damage. Unfortunately, my vehicle belongs to the latter category as I had done the honourable thing of buying a used salvaged vehicle at an auction at an amount I can afford. I have not chosen to hide any income and later through money laundering such income to disguise the fact that the purchase belongs to someone else and in the process commit criminal offences.
It is not ideal to purchase a salvage vehicle with extensive damage since serious mechanical and other problems develop from time to time and require further investment in repairs and maintenance.
However, as a public servant with a family to maintain I could not afford a new vehicle as many others could and was compelled to purchase a damaged vehicle.
My vehicle cannot be compared with a show room vehicle acquired by the honorable MP and AG respectively.
K. Sattaur
Posted by | October 27, 2014, 9:53 am
"kurdish_"COW-SHIT"_sattaur", is at it again!!!
This "COW-SHIT" COWARD IS TRYING TO 'BULL_SHIT' the Guyanese Public. Saying "he imported 'a wreck' 2010 Toyota Jeep Land Cruiser for his PERSONAL USE. (See his letter below).
This "COW-SHIT" COWARD, THIEF LAIR_LOSER. In the first place, LIED on an LEGAL DOCUMENT. By DECLARING ON THE APPLICATION, it only cost him (g)$1.5M, (US$7,500) which was registered on April 29, 2013. So he can tax_himself as the GRA_CG, ONLY (g)$450,000. A QUARTER of what the others would have paid.
When those kinds of HIGH_END USED LUXURY vehicles range from US$31,000 to US$40,000. At the same time, having to pay 30 per cent taxes, equivalent to (g)$2.1 million.
THIS IS HOW THOSE OTHER SHAMELESS BUGGA_BATTY, CACK_SUCKIN, THE_MOST_EVIL "DicK_TAKER_ bharRAT_de_ho"; the "INCOMPETENT AG anil Oh'nandlall"; MHA "Rohee-HEE-HAW; AMONG OTHERS IN THE 'ppp_CABINET' OPERATE.
THEY ARE PACK OF EVIL_PATHOLOGICAL_LAIRS, THIEF'S, CROOKS AND CRIMINALS. WITH THEIR PRADOVILLE MANSIONS, LUXURY VEHICLES, BODY GUARDS, ELECTRIC_WATER_PHONE-FOOD, ALL PAID FOR BY ROBBING THE Guyanese TAXPAYERS (Treasury).
AT THE SAME TIME, THESE DEPRAVED CRIMINALS, VILLAINS & MEGALOMANIACS. COLLECTIVELY KEEP Guyana POOR & DEPRIVED, OF A BETTER COMPETITIVE ECONOMY. IMPROVED IN FRACTURE. MORE RELIABLE & DEPENDABLE WATER & ELECTRIC UTILITIES AMONG MANY OTHERS.
ALL Guyanese, NEEDS A HIGHER STANDERED OF LIVING, AT A LOWER COST OF LIVING. ENHANCED QUALITY OF LIFE. AND PUT A STOP OF THIS BARED_FACED DEBAUCHERY OF THESE LOWLIFE THIEVES AND VOTE THEM OUT OF THEIR HI-OFFICE.
Posted by | October 27, 2014, 10:08 am
Dem boys seh … Anil, he uncle and Sattaur telling jumbie story …
De more people travel is de more dem does see and hear. A lil gyal was flying from New York to Guyana wid she mudda to celebrate Halloween.
When she walk into the plane fuh guh to she seat she ask she mudda, 'Mammy' when is Halloween?
De mudda seh, "De last day of Actobah as always, my dear. Why yuh ask?"
De li'l gyal seh, "Because as we pass through the first class section, I see a man, in first class, already wearing a devil costume and it's not Halloween day yet."
De mudda tell de child, "There was only one man in first class."
Li'l Gyal, "Yeah I know but he look like a devil."
"Child, you feeling good? Because that was the former head of state for Guyana. "THE_MOST_EVIL "DicK_TAKER_ bharRAT_de_ho"
Lil Gyal, "But why he wearing a costume?"
De mudda reply, "Babe, that's he natural look."
That's not de only frightening story. 'Cow_shit_sattaur' story more frightening than how 'bhar_RAT_Jag_de_ho' did look in de plane. Like an EVIL "DicK_TAKER_ "
He tell de nation that he had to go to two war-torn country fuh find and buy a crash Prado. He seh that he import de one from Afghanistan. At least it had to be Afghanistan because almost all dem vehicle is wreck.
Dem boys seh that is not a jumbie story dem really got to go Suriname or to Saudi Arabia fuh get a proper jumbie.
Anil tell de nation another jumbie story. He seh how de Waterfalls paper lie pun he uncle. De reporter got de man on record, unless de reporter talk to a jumbie and was de jumbie that pose to the side of the vehicle and wasn't he.
Talk half and wait fuh de recording.
Posted by | October 27, 2014, 10:40 am
BREAKING NEWS: Government Minister accused of threatening to kill Kaieteur News' Publisher/Staff
October 27, 2014 4:51 pm Category: latest news A+ / A- By Kurt Campbell
Glenn Lall breaks down in tears while speaking to reporters, today, Monday, October 27.
[www.inewsguyana.com] –
Amid tears, Kaieteur News' Publisher, Glenn Lall scrambled to explain how fearful he is for his life and that of his family along with his employees following what he has interpreted to be violent threats made against him allegedly by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall.
Lall had just exited the Police Commissioner's Office at Eve Leary, Georgetown where he handed over to Deputy Commissioner Balram Persaud a package which contained a diskette of an interview between a senior Kaieteur News Journalist and Nandlall where the threats were allegedly made.
A voice purporting to be that of the Attorney General could be heard on the almost 20 minutes recording saying among other things: "I told Adam [Adam Harris, Editor, Kaieteur News] everybody don't have a newspaper to use as a weapon, I told Adam people got weapons. If they continue to attack people like this and they [people] have no way of responding, they will just walk with their weapon into that same F**king Saffon Street office and wah come shall do."
Though refusing to comment on the matter, Lall assured that he has already taken measures to improve his security.
The voice on the recording, supposedly that of the AG went on to say: "innocent people got to pay for f**king Paul… I tell you honestly, man to man, that will happen so the quicker you get out of there, the better for you."
The voice allegedly that of the AG also noted: "there is a simpler way of dealing with this situation you know, I tell Glenn already. He knows I have capacity and I know his. I don't have to go Court every day and issue press statements, I don't have to resort to those methods…there are far more effective measures to which I can resort."Glenn 1 copy
Lall explained in a statement that he has been receiving a number of phone calls where he was cautioned to be careful in his daily movement. He said one caller went as far as to tell him that there is a plot to "shoot up your building and make it look like a robbery."
He said he was again informed that a plot to execute him had been hatched by senior government functionaries and that people had already been approached to carry out the dastardly act.
The voice alleged to be that of Nandlall also said to the reporter: "My advice to you is to move out of there, it's a dangerous f**king place to work…I am telling you, read between the lines."
He said on Saturday last all of the threats seemed to have been vindicated by a conversation between the AG and his Senior Reporter.
"The utterances are disturbing to say the least. I am very concerned because it came from high quarters… based on the recording I there is a criminal conspiracy which should be investigated," Lall told the media.
Meanwhile, Lall's Attorney, Khemraj Ramjattan has described the threats as "state terrorism" which he says comes with a history.
"It is clear from the tape that the destruction of Kaieteur News and its proprietor has heightened to level where the state wants to do destruction to a dissidentand a very famous one in Guyana."
When contacted by iNews, Nandlall neither denied nor admitted that the conversation did occur. He said he wanted to listen to the recording before offering any comments.
The full recording can be found here: http://youtu.be/LaAYMI2DBTc
Posted by | October 27, 2014, 9:58 pm
Below is a narration of the transcript.
The recorded conversation between Kaieteur News journalist Leonard Gildarie and Attorney-General of Guyana, Anil Nandlall.
LG: Hello
AG: Hey Gildarie
LG: hey wha happening
AG: is who been by me amm cousin and interview he, you?
LG: yes dem sen me dem send me
AG: But how you misquote the man suh man
LG: How the **** I misquote the man, we got the man pun record and is not me alone they had other staff there too
AG: who, who is the other staff, some nice girl dem sen
LG: man me cant give you the name man oww
AG: De man wan **** de girl man, the man tell me seriously he wan knock de girl
LG: how he gun **** de girl
AG: no but still chief (inaudible) de man say he wan knock de ting, you can arrange
LG: man wha happening what alyuh got this thing going so far fuh man, me got me ****ing job
AG: well glen nah use he…eh
LG: me got me job fuh lose
AG: no no me nah quarrel with you but all I am saying half wha he never tell you, de man say he never tell you that he didn't know that he got to live in Guyana, the man said he live here but he got fuh travel
LG: the man said duh, we got it on record
AG: wha record the man say you nah tape nothing yuh nah write nothing
LG: the man nah know bout smart phone, of course we does be taping these people there anil
AG: anyhow me ah tell you man say cuz me aint been dey, but me driver been deh
LG: no but whatever it is because I had to, of course I had an input I had to do it because dem send me and the other reporter and is not me either remember is the editors dem to, I don't see why
AG: yea but who is the girl
LG: me gun tell you a cant tell you on the phone man oh ***** you wan **** me up
AG: whaaam glen nah a tap me phone man he nah got dem technology
LG: no no man nah do dah, dem got people
AG: uh
LG: ah cant do duh but a cant tell you who that is but is one of we staff hey
AG: oh oh some (inaudible)
LG: is a reporter dem woulda send dem wouldn't a send me alone, you know I don't do much
AG: eh hey
LG: amm
AG: anyhow me nah know..wait no
AG: but hear nuh gildarie you do a story on duh , what is he gotayhing, if me uncle
LG: yea but
AG: hear nah, if me brother, leh we say, you got brothers
LG: eh hey
AG: if you brother murder somebody, wha duh mean you a go jail, me na…leh we assume that me uncle do something wrong I am not responsible me aint understand what the what the theory is, I am trying to figure out what is the end game what's the plan
LG: uh huh
AG: by publishing ah ah, the AG uncle the AG uncle, if me uncle do something wrong me uncle is liable to face the consequence of it
LG: Right Right
AG: so me aint understand why why is he putting that
LG: (inaudible) me say leh alyuh talk to the man direct and alyuh see wha alyu can do because this thing cant continue continue we as staffers get caught up in it because we gotta wuk
(inaudible voice in background)
AG: Hear nah, reaz is he brother, reaz use to put cocaine in shrimps and prawns and (inaudible voice in background) smuggle it all out (inaudible voice in background) ya'll aint publish, I got details of how glen threaten fuh back track me know bout all duh budday, me nah wan disclose dem things duh but I could do it if he want fuh go down dah line (inaudible voice in background)
LG: boy me aint know wha fuh tell you boy except that I decide that i..
AG: you know wha reaz do, you know reaz full a container of apple and grapes off de ****ing wharf eating and go and put it at Melanie pon the side of the road and hook it up pun a GPL container, ah GPL lantern post and freeze a container of apple and grapes free for nearly three months (inaudible voice in background) you nah know and people a pass up and down pun de road and dem think dat the container just fall off the road and it full with apple and grape
LG: but hear hear wha (inaudible)
AG: the president already spoke, not glen but to bhena, right
LG : I just (inaudible)
AG: I am telling you boss how every effort has been made, glen lall is mad, he run mad
LG: (inaudible) sattaur deh going at a set of newspaper and talking he ***** whole day he cant continue doing that
AG: yea but if glen got to understand that we cant, look he never read nothing from sattaur, he refused, he was asked to, to just behave good for one week, he couldn't ****ing do that
LG: no but deh man run to to ting everyday, ah just telling you wha how we seeing him because I cant I cant (inaudible)
AG: now glen go an manufacture a ****ing whole story about the man going an get ban from ACCA and all kinda madness
LG: Because now everyday single day it just continuing continuing, Sattaur running till to guyana times he running to chronicle we deh pun
AG: wheh, wheh,anyway wheh you deh now
LG: me just deh at the back, I deh at the back of Kaieteur News
AG: whah you doing deh
LG: ah just come fuh tek dis call heh
AG: hello
LG: boy me nah wha fuh tell you but alyuh just sort it out because I don't know how long I gun able (inaudible)
AG: so why you don't come across and come work with we
LG: wha deh **** you gun offer me
AG: better than Kaieteur News
LG: man we gun gaff man but alyuh need to stop (inaudible)
AG: send me a proposal of what you working for and um
LG: ah gun have to discuss it with the wife
AG: no discuss it with your wife because the president and I clear on something we are building an elitist press team right
LG: yall do something man because I getting lil tired but alyuh stop this ****ing thing nah alyuh stop because the country..
AG: no hear nah you know how it gun stop somebody gun go into kaieteur, you see everybody nah gat as I told adam today I said adam everbody don't joust everybody, wait hold on…everybody doesn't have a newspaper to use as a weapon, I told adam, I said adam people got weapons right, is not newspaper they gonna use as a weapon they got weapons and when you continue attack people like that and they have no way of responding they gun just walk with their weapon into that same ****ing saffon street office and wha come suh do and innocent, peter gun gah pay fuh ****ing paul in deh one day, me ah tell you innocent, me a tell you honestly man to man that gun happen soon
LG: I don't know (inaudible)
AG: so the quicker you get out of deh, the quicker you get out of deh the better
LG: Amm hear hear
AG: this thing is ah hear, you cannot use your newspaper like that boss, you get charge, whether you feel, whether you feel you get charged wrongfully or not you can't use yuh newspaper to drag a set of ****ing innocent people in this, if and de people (inaudible) money, you know who is kamal mangal, the man look stupid, one bald head ****ing poor man, you know who da man is
LG: (inaudible)
AG: but but alright must find out wha da man own and what he could do with one phone call, alyuh nah know who alyuh a deal with, I had to hold back that man
LG: but is why alyuh don't stop it ya'll (inaudible)
AG: uh hmm
LG: (inaudible)
AG: anyhow, the man, the man view is that he is above everybody else that he is above the law and that he own this newspaper and he could buse comrade no society works like that, none none, there is a simple way of dealing with a situation yuh know , I tell glen already he knows my capacity and I know his, me nah got to go to court everyday and issue press statement I don't have to revert to those methods
LG: I like how yall (inaudible)
AG: there are far more effective methods to which I can resort right
LG: ammm wha wha wha whats the reason (inaudible)
AG: I told, I told glen I meet with glen I sit and down and talk with him (inaudible) I use some money from the government and glen mek and issue of it I pay back deh ****ing money long before he even mek de issue and he know about it because wha it pay fuh
LG: which issue is dat
AG: remember you were going to publish something (inaudible) about my wife and so on
LG: (inaudible)
AG: (inaudible) months ago not now months ago (inaudible) but I just, I am not worried about what he gun publish, me I am a ****ing thoroughbred , I I just don't want him to publish things about me wife that is all I don't want you understand because she is innocent
LG: it goes beyond (inaudible)
AG: yea but boss there's two to tango one man cant tango
LG: yea but but how, who are we interviewing how do we because (inaudible)
AG: I already, I sent a message already and I bhena has been in contact with the president, they are very close right but glen is not keeping up his end of the bargain, the things them that bhena spoke, they work out an arrangement
LG: but anil, but anil (inaudible)
AG: uh huh, uh uh
LG: (inaudible)
AG: well I Sankar a he man in law (inaudible) all of that
LG: (inaudible) but Sattaur started..(inaudible)
AG: me aint know bout all a dat but I know what I know , wait chief, I am clean, I am clean right I never take a dog from any ****ing body and what he is doing to get at me through me family cause he cant find nothing on me I never thief, you understand me nah other people you know what wha he can (inaudible) thing pun, you understand, I never tek a
LG: (inaudible)
AG: Gildarie me a wan rich man me tek ****ing government and become poor you understand and glen knows that, me I achieve everything I wuk in life before I tek government, I retire, I retire at age 38 when I became attorney general I don't have to work
LG: tell me so wha you wan me fuh do (inaudible)
AG: I think that you should, my first advice to you is that you should move out of there it is a dangerous ****ing place to work, is a dangerous place because that, I am telling you, read between the lines this thing not going to go on for long, people not going to tek this thing just so is a lot of powerful people that this man, wait nobody never used to bother with he before right and he used to getway, get through with all wha he publishing but people get, people get sensitive now, they were chatree coolie rass, you know what is chatree
LG: (inaudible)
AG: you don't engage a chatree in ****ing war and that is what he has done when he start fuh publish that I go and spy pun he and all kinda ****ing madness you nah see deh ****ing tempo change after that, right
AG: me nah Jagdeo and bobby yuh know and Brassington (inaudible) we come from a higher breed of people, you understand
LG: all right let me talk, a gun mek some calls fuh you cause I aint know (inaudible)
AG: anyhow nobody nah gun listen to you man nah worry with da stupidness the thing is that amm they should, we have some things we are doing on this side
LG: uh huh
AG: and you should think about your, boy me and BJ does talk about you and we believe that you does still ****ing leak back information but amm you will have a review
LG: alright must give me a call
AG: you should come up with us (inaudible) but you see how (inaudible) but you see this thing go down this road it nah gon end good right, ego, this is share ego happening hey, this man is lynching my family for no reason at all, no reason at all, just because he want to get at me and why he want to get at me because he believe that in can withdraw these charges against him I can't me nah file dese charges boss
LG: but why dem went ahead and charge this man knowing that dem nah get nothing
AG: because nobody is above the law boss, you cant, hear nah man, you cant put youself up as St Peter
LG: no but hear I is no lawman but I was looking at the Act and they couldn't a find a better way ***** because (inaudible)
AG: No, no that's not necessary, he got eyewitness, sattaur tell you he got eyewitness accounts of where the vehicles are parked, the vehicle dem don't ever park at the people house the people dem don't even have ****ing driver's licence boss, sattaur must know that
LG: I was looking at some of the reports if the vehicle them are no longer (inaudible)
AG: did what what, I didn't hear you
LG: I am no lawyer but if the vehicle (inaudible) am looking at the reports and its not appropriate (inaudible)
AG: you know them got some (inaudible)nuances in the law, you know on the face of it I agree with you
LG: Right Right
AG: but when you deeper, when you go deeper into the law you just cant, you see the law, the law looks at substance and not form, you can't by not transferring your vehicle but giving a man the vehicle fuh use everyday, defeat the whole purpose of the thing, the law is not an ass, you understand
LG: (inaudible)
AG: the process, the people them (inaudible) hear we can end this tomorrow and all he gah do is go pay the duty and I could have worked out a reduced duty for him and the story done, anyway don't give yourself too much liberty and say I talk to you and all kind of thing you know, let them believe that I you know cowering (pause) but eh man who is the girl man tell me who is de girl you a move away from you (inaudible)
LG: (inaudible)
AG: (inaudible) you cant give a girl name over de phone
LG: (inaudible)
AG: but who who is it me nah gun do nothing more wha de rass me gun do with the girl I just want know is who because the boy give a description and the girl is nice
LG: (inaudible)
AG: nothing wrong with that e nah got nothing wrong with that me just wan know is who me nah got no ulterior motive, hai boss, me nah got no ulterior motive me nah (inaudible)nobody
AG: hmmm
LG: (inaudible)
AG: is Queen's college people does run this country, you nah realize that (inaudible)
AG: Hmm, alright good eh hey
Posted by | October 27, 2014, 10:27 pm
This is funny if NOT SO SERIOUS. EVIDENCE OF PATHOLOGICAL MEGALOMANIA ON FULL-OUT DISPLAY!!!
Imagine according to the transcript of the recorded tape.
The "INCOMPETENT (AG) anil Oh'nandlall", isn't just THREATENING to MURDER & DO VIOLENCE on the owner of K-News Mr. Glen Lall.
But to the others staffers who works there, as well. As if to scare Mr. Leonard Gildarie (LG) to quit working there at K-News or become COLLATERAL DAMAGE or to come and work for their "elite team".
At the same time, the "INCOMPETENT AG anil Oh'nandlall". Describing himself as a "rich" "thoroughbred". That he comes from a "higher breed" of "chatree" stock.
While, "THE_MOST_EVIL "DicK_TAKER_ bharRAT_de_ho" and his BUGGA_BATTY CACK_SUCKIN_BOY/GIRL_FRIEND, "ranjisinghi "Bobby" ramroop", are LOW-CLASS COOLIES.
Posted by | October 27, 2014, 11:19 pm
Dem boys seh… Anil learning to be like Jagdeo, a scamp
Monday, dem boys realize that nuff crook been to QC. Dem had nuff of dem in de assembly. Dem see Sam plus ammm; dem see Granger who is no stranger; dem see Priya without she Bhaia; dem see Ashni who is a nobody; but dem didn't see Anil.
He was too busy mekking plan fuh threaten de Waterfalls paper and de boss man.
Dem boys seh that dem now see why Guyana in such a state. From far back was QC people who been controlling de country. Dem had Burnham; dem had Cheddi. When de two of dem was at de top de country was bloody. Nuff people dead and nuff house bun down.
Now dem have Donald and Granger. De two of dem behaving like stranger. Dem can't agree pun nutten when instead, she shoulda be like shirt button—tight, tight.
Jagdeo didn't go to QC except when he tun president and dem ask he fuh mek a speech. De man tek de opportunity fuh go and sit down in a classroom fuh learn how to become a scamp, a crook and a thief. He tell dem boys that he did want to follow Forbes.
Today he get he desire and he got a few followers. All of dem trying to get into QC.
Anil been deh and he seh how he now learning to be as smart as Jagdeo, a scamp.
Posted by | October 28, 2014, 10:06 am
Deadly triumvirate … "THE_MOST_EVIL "DicK_TAKER_ bharRAT_de_ho".
THE BUGGA_BATTY_CACK_SUCKIN LOW-CLASS_DALIT_chamar_COOLIE …
In a small town the size of Guyana where everyone knows everyone, where everyone knows everyone's business, no secrets exist. One of the most pungent public secrets in this small town is the man behind the throne. If you didn't know Latin, don't know what the hell Latin is or what it means, since 2011 you would have picked up the Latin phrases, "de jure" and "de facto"
De jure means the legal right to a title, or an office, or a physical attribute. De facto means, in reality, that the de jure ownership is just what it is – legal in name only but not in substance. So a public figure is legally appointed to head a national organization. But in actuality, the real head is another person. He/she is the de facto head.
This is what the opposition parties were saying about the overthrown Thai Prime Minister; that the real PM was her brother. He controlled his sister and was making decisions for her. The most talked about public secret in Guyana is the man behind the throne is Bharrat Jagdeo; the de jure president is Donald Ramotar. Bharrat Jagdeo is de facto leader.
The details in the Nandlall tape have revealed what Guyanese already knew – Jagdeo "run things." On the tape, Nandlall said; "Me and BJ does talk about you." He was referring to the journalist at the other end of the line. What is important here is to analyze the deeper meaning behind the words, "Me and BJ does talk about you."
BJ of course means Bharrat Jagdeo. The operative word is "does." Nandlall did not say, "Me and BJ used to talk about you," or, "BJ and I once spoke about you." The present tense is used meaning that Jagdeo has ongoing sensitive discussions with senior Cabinet politicians that result in output. The request for tax records is perhaps the most compelling example of Jagdeo's "post-Jagdeo" power.
If I was to ask for my interpretation of what the planned attack on Kaieteur News was all about, I would not leave out the role of Macbeth's wife which if you did not know would be the king behind the throne. I have said to many of my colleagues at Kaieteur News, including a long session with Dale Andrews, that Mr. Jagdeo's vindictiveness will emerge after he demits office.
Mr. Jagdeo's real moment of brilliant realpolitik came when he imposed Ramotar on the PPP as the 2011 Presidential Candidate. Jagdeo was depressingly uncertain if he could control the only eligible candidate – Ralph Ramkarran. It was inconceivable for Ramkarran as President to play second fiddle to a former President. That was unimaginable. But Ramotar would.
Jagdeo chose Ramotar. Ramotar was eternally grateful. The first evidence of this sycophancy of Ramotar was when he named a Cabinet that was a hundred percent Jagdeoite. He had no choice. He still doesn't. This brings us to the conspiracy to hurt Glenn Lall and his staff (and please read that to mean this columnist too).
I don't think this was a one-man thing or a two-man thing. This was a triumvirate at work – Jagdeo, Nandlall and Ramotar. We know the role of Jagdeo and Nandlall but we didn't want to see the essential role of Ramotar in all of this – after all he is the President; the de jure president. But there is a de facto president.
Ramotar gave himself away when in less than a day after the tape went viral his government issued a semantic embrace and a political endorsement of Nandlall. We have now seen his role in the scheme of things. That was day one. Ramotar further exposed himself on day two when in what could only be described as monstrous politics he told the Guyanese people that Nandlall was illegally taped. That is where his government is at, that is what his government is concerned about in the entire scandal.
The triumvirate was at work. The tape has exposed them. Ramotar could keep lamenting the so-called illegal taping. Nandlall could keep on talking about his words being taken out of context. Jagdeo could continue to remain aloof from the expanding infamy but the die is cast. The Guyanese people and the world know what the triumvirate has done.
But more than this, those intimately associated with the Kaieteur News should thank their lucky stars.
You have to be dishonest to think that those gunmen who were sent would have left me alone. So many persons have approached me and advised that I be careful. I will but I will not distance myself from Kaieteur News offices. On the contrary I plan to visit more often.
Posted by | November 3, 2014, 1:56 pm
These threats evoke memories of the murdered Kaieteur News pressmen
Dear Editor,
Once again in Guyana, relations between a private newspaper, Kaieteur News and the ruling PPP administration have not only gone sour but has hit rock bottom, or lower. And once again, regional voices especially those in the English speaking Caribbean must be raised to register concern about the persistence of entrenched negative predispositions of the minority PPP regime against the free and independent media in Guyana. They have tried almost everything even death threats against the staff of Kaieteur News, one of the two main privately owned media houses that has been exposing the corrupt practices of administration. Their goal is to close down the private media in Guyana.
In line with a policy tradition common to the PPP regime, print and broadcast entities owned, operated and controlled by the State have continued to be fixtures of the media landscape. It is against this background that private interests have invested in making real and vibrant a diversity of media voices, thus giving effect to the freedom of expression in Guyana as guaranteed by the constitution and international conventions. Mr. Nandlall's vulgar and physical threats have embarrassed the nation internationally and so for the PPP General Secretary to say that there is nothing immoral about what the AG has said shows how unschooled he is.
The ruling administration has not hesitated to utilize the State media in advancing its political agenda, propaganda, distortions and untruths to reply to criticism from the private media and the opposition. The operations of the privately owned media to legitimately challenge government pronouncements and to question and to investigate wrongdoings have proved to be risky, costly and deadly. The alleged death threats on the staff of Kaieteur News brought back memories of the horrific experience of the August 8, 2006, slaughter of five Kaieteur News press operators who were gunned down in execution style by armed men at its printery. The paper survived those murders to the extent it never ceased publication.
Both privately owned Stabroek News and Kaieteur News were denied advertisements for several years by Former President Bharat Jagdeo as punishment for publication of news and opinion deemed unfavorable to the PPP regime. Disingenuously, the Jagdeo regime placed most of its ads with the state owned Guyana Chronicle and the state aligned Guyana Times. Very few people read these two papers and both have very little sales. As if that was not enough, Kaieteur News Owner and Publisher Glen Lall faced prosecution on tax-related charges. In addition, several lawsuits amounting to almost one billion dollars have been filed against Glenn Lall, Adam Harris and Kaieteur News by the former President, Bharat Jagdeo, the Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, GRA Commissioner, Khursid Sattaur, the head of NICIL, Winston Brassington and Jagdeo's best friend, Bobby Ramsaroop.
As an independent newspaper, Kaieteur News has adopted the "no-holds-barred" strategy in terms of reporting and has exposed corruption and other wrongdoings by politicians and other office bearers. Kaieteur News took the extraordinary step of releasing the recording of a conversation between its reporter, Leonard Gildarie and the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall. In the recording, the AG was heard issuing dire warnings of what sounded like impending physical attacks against the staff of Kaieteur News. In the most vulgar and obscene language ever heard by a Minister, the AG also urged the reporter to quit his job at Kaieteur News ahead of such attacks. He was also heard soliciting sex for his uncle from a female reporter. We believe that Mr. Nandlall had intended to say what he said in the 19 minute tape and perhaps was expressing the views of his colleagues at Freedom House. His claim that he is a Chatri Indian who is superior to Jagdeo, Brassington and Indians is an insult to all Hindus who should demand an apology and his resignation.
Now that such apparent threats have been made public, President Donald Ramotar's government should have demanded the resignation of Mr. Nandlall instead of supporting him and denouncing the secret taping of the AG. The vile comments about the female reporter have degraded women in general. Not only the Guyanese people but the entire Caribbean region are waiting to hear the president make clear his total repudiation of the violent attacks, threatened or planned, against the staff of Kaieteur News by the AG. But knowing the PPP bullies who have on numerous occasions shown total disrespect for the Constitution and the people would continue to support wrong doings and in this case Mr. Nandlall. Such are the actions of a warped, devious, desperate and perverted individuals.
Asquith Rose and Harish Singh
Posted by | November 7, 2014, 10:04 am
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