Opposition cabal exposed in….
Once someone is associated with the Government, even technocrats performing a function with a prescribed mandate, they become a sitting target for the Opposition collective, including the media corps affiliated to the various opposition parties, and their attacks do not need to be based on the truth.  Indeed, most often they are not. And no matter how many times their lies and deceptions have been exposed, they continue unabated, with pictures of broken down structures photo-shopped to look like newly-built structures built with rotting materials, and fabricated facts and figures, including the expenditure on the President’s travels, through which he has realized so much international goodwill and help for this country.

They stated unequivocally, quoting  `reliable sources’ that the President’s travel costs equated to billions of dollars – an outright lie that was debunked by the Auditor General’s report and exposed by Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh.

The Finance Minister revealed that the costs of the travels of all Government functionaries totalled an approximate $200 million.

Included in these costs are travelling charges and allowances for media operatives from the opposition media houses who have periodically accompanied the President to cover several critical engagements between Guyana’s Head-of-State and global leaders covering a multiplicity of issues, all imperative to the quality of the continued existence of mankind on Planet Earth.  However, the opposition media houses did not see it fit to expose the fact that they also benefitted from expenditures incurred while they accompanied the President.

And while they are busy re-constructing the history of this country to make good look bad and vice versa, they forgot to mention that, when the new PPP administration cut down on unnecessary expenditures in a ‘lean and clean’ construct, they added ‘mean’ to the equation because they were derogating the PPP’s efforts at cost-cutting initiatives to accuse the administration of not having high standards and not creating, or rather maintaining, a façade of affluence, when the whole world knew that our country had been pauperized by the very critics who were advocating sustaining the lavish lifestyles, super-salaries and ‘fat-cat’ benefits of those who continued to hold on to administrative positions and milk the country, even after the political leadership had changed.

They also conveniently forgot that Burnham hired entire jets to take full contingents, sometimes numbering up to 50 persons, to places as far as China, while living, along with his numerous relatives, including an aspiring President, like royalty at the nation’s expense.

One of the most dishonest media operatives who holds a very prominent position in a local media house stated that there was no corruption in Burnham’s days, because he would not have tolerated that.  My God – talk about lie, dat is lie! But then he was one of the favoured ones, occupying positions to which he was not qualified.

When the PPP established the system of having an annual Auditor General’s Report of the Public Accounts, the discrepancies in the accounts amounted to millions of dollars.  Corruption had become endemic to the national psyche during Burnham’s days, because it was during those days that people were forced to pay bribes for everything, including for the acquisition of foodstuff and other basic commodities.

Also, it was during those times that the kick-down-the-door and the choke-and-rob phenomena surfaced.

Dishonesty and a lack of a work ethic became entrenched in the Public Service system because everyone was involved in a ‘hustle’, whereby someone needing service from the system had to pay big dollars.  Who could not pay had to run to the various Public Service Departments, sometimes from distanct areas across the country, until they dropped.

They talk about unemployment in these times, and about marginalization and other idiotic nonsense, disregarding the many empowerment initiatives and opportunities being afforded every Guyanese for self-advancement, and the fact that during the days of PNC rule if one did not have a PNC Party card then they could not get employment in the service sectors; as well as the methodical efforts by the then administration to destroy the industries that were not traditional PNC support bases, such as the rice industry in particular, and the agricultural sector in general.

The PPP administration has made such gigantic strides in re-structuring the developmental paradigm of this nation that progress report indicators are pointing skywards; and the country’s macro-economic fundamentals have stabilized and have even recorded growth, which is projected to increase in the very near future, despite the global financial meltdown of recent times.

As elections approach the opposition cabal has become frantic and frenetic and have ramped up their efforts to destabilize this administration, and the most effective way they envisage of achieving this hoped-for/longed-for eventuality is by destroying the credibility of Government functionaries, including that of the President.

So-called experts and consultants primed with pre-conceived notions, visit this country for a couple of days at the behest of the opposition collective, interview persons selected by the opposition, then make some startling observances, most often documented in reports that are quoted as credible sources of information on Guyana.  Even the local stringers of international media entities belong to the opposition collective and report in a highly biased and prejudicial manner on national issues and personalities.  Even the once most-respected international media houses are looked at with a great deal of skepticism when their operatives are reporting and pronouncing on issues and personalities in other countries, because one could envisage the same scenario being played out relative to news coverage of events in other countries, with the contents of the reports being highly-subjective to the individual’s own biases and prejudices, as in Guyana’s case.

There is no surcease to the lies and distortions being peddled by the opposition and their voices in the various media houses.  Recently three very glaring instances highlight the strategy of distortions and lies against Government functionaries with which the opposition hopes to win over the electorate.

Shafdar Ali, the embattled Region Four REO, who was on leave when a wanted bulletin was issued for him relative to charges of alleged fraud, like any sane person tried to appoint a lawyer to represent him before surrendering to the police.

This took a few days because able and competent lawyers are very busy persons and not easily reachable.  Also, when he reached a lawyer of his choice he was advised that the representation provided by that lawyer would have been compromised in the public’s view, so he had to go all over the process of attempting to acquire the services of another lawyer with whom he could share a comfort zone before he surrendered to the police, which was an entirely reasonable and sensible course.

Of course the opposition media cabal, especially Kaieteur News, and its discredited senior operative, who was once a PNC lackey who still promotes their causes, went on a rampage, not even merely insinuating, but stating outright that the Government had warned him to flee the country, which he had done, before briefing the police to investigate the allegations made against the REO which, until now, are still allegations, and our laws definitely state that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

Their lies that implicated the Minister of Loc
al Government, the PPP, and the Government were disproved when the gentleman finally acquired the services of a lawyer and surrendered to the police.

Khemraj Ramjattan and the leadership of the AFC have based their politics on senseless and refutable accusations against Government and its functionaries without providing concrete solutions to any of the problems facing this country.  They practice what Mark Benschop term “cry-baby politics”, whereby they constantly complain and throw tantrums intended to gain the sympathy – and sympathy votes, of the electorate, and they do not care whom they target and who gets hurt in the process.

Their latest salvo, whereby they made accusations that the Hansard had been tampered with, hurt the Parliamentary staff, because it publicly impugned their professional integrity.

This one time, when they told their lies and made their nefarious accusation, quickly published by the Kaieteur, of course, they forgot that the evidence of their dishonesty in the form of tape recordings could be produced with alacrity, but this did not deter them from re-formatting their accusations, and when Housing Minister Irfaan Ali wisely refused to engage them and pander to their histrionics they threw another tantrum and walked out of Parliament like petulant children whose parent had refused them a lollipop.

And the biggest booboo of them all, again attempting to deceive the public, was another salvo aimed at one of the most popular ministers currently in Government.  An article published in the Stabroek News of March 4, deliberately attempted to cast blame on the Minister for the death by drowning in the GWI Central Ruimveldt Iron Removal Treatment Plant, inferring that neglect by GWI was directly responsible for the death of the youngster, whereby the truth of the matter is vastly different.

The headline reads: “GWI failed to act on request for fence to keep trespassers out.”

However, the contents of the article read in part: ‘United Earth Movers (UEM) Project Engineer, Sattanatan Mahendran, ….. said that the firm (contracted) did everything it could to secure the area. “We didn’t want this situation to happen and that is why we did all these things to secure the place.”’

‘…. He said that when sections of the chain link fence were destroyed by persons attempting to enter the compound to lime and swim, it was reinforced.  Extra cost, he added, was incurred by the company in a bid to enhance security.  He said persons continued to trespass although GWI had issued warnings in the media for persons not to swim or venture there since it was hazardous.’

‘…..GWI told the company (UEM) to send a quotation for the construction of a concrete block fence.  However, when this was done GWI said that it had to get permission from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) which funded the project.’ According to Mahendra, since then UEM has not received a positive answer.

But the answer was that GWI had to await go-ahead from the IDB before commencing construction of a concrete fence.  Ours is a developing country, with severe fiscal constraints, and many projects have to depend on the assent by relevant funding agencies, among other factors.

And every time Government functionaries implement programmes to empower the people, the opposition and its voices in various media houses rant over non-essential and irrelevant issues.

One case in point is the acquisition by the Ministry of Housing of additional lands from Guysuco to extend its housing drive, over which Khemraj Ramjattan and members of the PNC have gone so far as to take the Housing Minister to court.

They say they care about the people of this country and they are better leaders, yet they object on various nefarious grounds when the various arms of the Government move to implement systems that would protect or serve the nation.

And many times their rhetoric prevails over reason in the minds of the masses, who often cannot differentiate between mere semantics and actual caring.

The Stabroek News report continued: ‘….. In the meantime, the chain link fence is still in a state of disrepair, having been damaged by those intent on swimming in the lagoon.’  So, contrary to the misrepresentation in the headline, the facility was protected by a fence, which was deliberately damaged by residents of the community, as were numerous warning signs.

Added to those security measures, GWI personnel, as well as the Minister himself, continuously warn residents to desist from encroaching because of the hazardous chemicals and the depth of the pool, to no avail.

An ongoing advertising campaign was also launched to warn residents to keep away from the GWI facility.

Despite all of this, residents refused to heed the warnings and the Stabroek News reported: ‘Residents had told Stabroek News that, prior to the drowning, there was a “Phagwah Wash Down” at the lagoon where children, teenagers, and even young adults were swimming.’

From reports, the security at the site was beefed up at the cost of an additional $2.7 million, but the invasion is at times so overwhelming, and the intruders so aggressive that even the security guards are intimidated by the trespassers.

The endemic lawlessness that pervades segments of the society is responsible for the death of 10-yr-old Akeem Denny, because if members of the community had heeded the warnings by GWI and adhered to the rule of the law governing trespassing on restricted property, that little boy would still be alive today.

The consultant said that many times the security guards were afraid to act because of threats issued by the overwhelming numbers of very aggressive persons who invade the facility.

His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo, and General-Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Honourable Donald Ramotar, M.P., spoke of the role some sections of the Guyanese media are today attempting to play as kingmakers, or in this instance president-makers, in efforts to chart a new course in this nation’s political demographics, with no pretence to seeking facts or clarifying issues to attain some degree of objectivity in their news reports.

Addressing the large gathering at the Babu John during observances in celebration of the life of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, paying homage to a man who epitomized truth, sincerity and uncompromising adherence to integrity, the leaders denounced the propensity for gutter journalism that has become a norm in Guyana’s media world and adjured media practitioners to become more professional in their approach to execute their duties, because those duties are mandatory and above self-serving agendas and prejudices if the credibility of both the reporter and the media house he/she is representing is not to be compromised.

This lack of professionalism in some sections of the media corps, and the lack of a sense of responsibility on the part of some media houses to report the news accurately and not to serve the vested interests of interested parties by vilifying public personalities without ensuring that their facts are accurate, if indeed that is their intent, redounds to no-one’s benefit and discredits the profession as a whole.

Pull Quote:

The PPP administration has made such gigantic strides in re-structuring the developmental paradigm of this nation that progress report indicators are pointing skywards; and the country’s macro-economic fundamentals have stabilized and have even recorded growth, which is projected to increase in the very near future, despite the global financial meltdown of recent times.