GOVERNMENT on Friday dismissed Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo’s statement that he intends to file legal action against government officials who are perceived by him to be enriching themselves from state resources.Cabinet Secretary and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said Jagdeo, a former president, ought to be the last person to make such a statement, noting that the opposition leader’s utterances are laughable. He said the coalition government has much to show since it entered office and noted that all has been done in open view.
Jagdeo recently told the media that he is in the process of challenging those officials whom he deems to be enriching themselves off the state’s resources, as well as those who have failed to comply with the Integrity Commission Act. However, Harmon said there are several matters engaging the attention of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), for which international assistance is being granted so the administration would be able to approach the court.

“The wheels of justice turn slowly but surely,” Harmon told reporters at a post-cabinet press briefing, while noting that Jagdeo is trying to deflect attention from his era. “There are a number of persons who the leader of the opposition is seeking to deflect attention from. They are the subject of criminal investigations,” he stated.
The Cabinet Secretary citied several reports including the Inter-American Council on Human Rights, which has said that Jagdeo should be held accountable for the many killings that took place during his reign as President. The Council of Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) report was also cited by Harmon, who quoted the report as saying Jagdeo will go down as the President who has done nothing for his country while in office.
“That he could only receive, the lowest of marks from any independent evaluation through his tolerance of crime, racism and dismal social progress,” Harmon added, while noting that with the many forensic audit reports completed and placed in the hands of SOCU, it is only time before criminal charges could be laid.
He reminded reporters that under Jagdeo’s rule, there was a decline in the amount of money budgeted and spent on education. The actions of the former president he said, have resulted in the under-resourcing of the education sector.
“This is why we have to now get into emergency spending of millions of dollars for the Grade Six examination for Math and English. This is what is happening. This is the result of bad spending that we have to now correct,” the minister said.
Harmon said his government’s allocation of 17.2 per cent of its budget to education speaks volumes in comparison to Jagdeo’s 6.1 per cent.
“So, when these gentlemen speak of commitment to fight crime, education or health, this is the reality and we are doing as much as we can with limited resources and international help to focus on these issues which affect the Guyanese people,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, he said the audit reports on the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Guyana Power and Light (GPL), GO-Invest, Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary/Agriculture Development Authority (MMA/ADA) and others have all been placed in the hands of SOCU. “Mr Jagdeo should be the last person talking about filing cases against anybody,” Harmon stated, while noting that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is also examining tax breaches which have proven to be significant. “We will get some activities there as well,” he added.