Dear Editor,
IN the print media (Stabroek News) of March 16, 2017, it was reported that representatives of the Chinese Company, Hong Kong Golden Telecom Limited (HDGT), were in Guyana and recently put forward a proposal for payment of the outstanding five million U.S. dollars for the sale of the 20% shares of GTT owned by government.
This has now finally proven beyond doubt that the whole top leadership of the APNU regime was deliberately fooling the Guyanese people when they asserted that that money was paid to Guyana before the 2015 general elections.
In March last year, Minister Trotman sensationally claimed that they had evidence the money was paid to the PPP/Civic government. He confidently said Minister Harmon had obtained documents to that effect on his infamous trip to China. Even though that statement was categorically denied by author of this letter, and a challenge was put out to produce the documents, no less a person than the President confidently repeated this fabrication
In May 2016, on one of his carefully orchestrated programmes, the “Public Interest,” answering a question of the whereabouts of the five million U.S. dollars, he said; “You have to ask Mr. Ramotar where the money is.” He further said; “I don’t know where it is. I would like to find out, but the money went missing under the previous administration and it is certainly missing and that is what Mr. Harmon’s mission was all about. We are trying to find out ourselves.”
Now that the matter has been clarified, I wish to point out that this has been the modus operandi of the APNU+AFC in and out of government. They pile up lies after lies against the PPP/C officials hoping some would stick. They were certainly successful in fooling a lot of people.
This proves conclusively that their attacks on the PPP/C about corruption are highly exaggerated and mostly half-truths and lies. It is time for them to turn away from this immoral type of behaviour. If they have any decency left, the minimum they should do is to apologise to the PPP/C officials, and the Guyanese people at large, for deliberately misleading them to believe that the money was stolen.
Regards
Donald Ramotar
Former President