– and a recipe for national disaster
THE latest and resuscitated media opposition lies about Donald Ramotar, Cheddi Jagan, Shaik Baksh, Irfaan Ali, and President Jagdeo have been skewered, time and again; yet the various media houses continue to unendingly, dishonestly and knowingly peddle these untruths. Every government functionary is a human being who is prone to human error, especially given the highly volatile and demanding positions they occupy, and the overwhelming responsibilities with which they are tasked to perform in the national interest. But if they make mistakes and perform to less than desired within their mandate they should he held accountable and even penalized.
However, instead of being left to concentrate on their time-consuming and energy demanding work they are constantly forced to divert their precious time and energy to respond to the army of opposition detractors, who have nothing worthwhile to do and all the time in the world to create mischief.
Every single day a new lie surfaces in the opposition media, subjecting one minister or government functionary or another to a plethora of unwarranted accusations – some outright lies, but most that have enough facts that have been twisted so cleverly that they sound like truth; or some real truths that are made to look like dishonest actions, when instead they are merely run-of-the-mill occurrences that have been highly-sensationalised.
During the past months I have lost respect for some persons whom I once held in high regard, especially those who, because of personal ambition and self-serving agendas engage in acts that are anti-nationalist, some of which inevitably stymie development in the nation – and the lobbies against the Norway GRIF funds are a case in point.
No-one who knows Dr. Cheddi Jagan would even remotely associate him with racist statements or actions, because he was such a complete humanist who espoused the rights of suppressed and vulnerable peoples the globe over; yet detractors, primarily the Stabroek News twisted a simple statement he made in Canada many years ago, where he made reference to the way black persons are perceived and treated.
They twisted Dr. Jagan’s statements to seem as if that great-hearted man was expressing an opinion to that effect, and the Stabroek News carried a campaign to incite hatred against him on the basis of that cleverly-manipulated statement. Today, that paper has resuscitated that lie through the pen of one of the most racist persons in the world, who does not even live in this country.
Even members of the opposition media can verify that at no point during the press conference at Freedom House last Friday did PPP/C Presidential advisor and candidate, Donald Ramotar, say – even by inference, that elections could or would be delayed beyond its mandatory date; and everyone present could aver to the fact that he unequivocally stated that he, individually, and the PPP/C collectively would prefer that the general elections be held as early as possible – certainly before December.
Minister Shaik Baksh has produced proof in refutation that his ministry has awarded contracts to a bidder and that the firm went through the proper tendering processes; as well as skewered all the attendant lies, yet the opposition media continues to reconstruct the lies into different shapes with the intent of besmirching the character of the minister and the young businessman that they are victimizing.
And even a schoolchild knows that sole trader means a single person trading – like Glen Lall used to trade his suitcase of shoes in days gone by. Although he probably was not registered in any shape or form, and probably he did not even have a barber shop from which to start his business, yet today one can assume that he is a legitimate businessman. 
The young and ambitious businessman explained that he started his business by taking orders and bidding for contracts, facilitating the purchase and delivery. He did not run a shop (this is for the dunces who cannot understand the process), but facilitated the order placement and actual sale. 
To effect this he went the legal way and registered his business as a sole trading entity in 2003, and later went public, registering his enterprise as a company as his business grew.
That is the pioneering spirit of most entrepreneurs, as John Fernandes, Toolsie Persaud, Abdool Gafoor, Edward B. Beharry and the rest of great frontline businessmen who established dynastic institutions could have attested to.
A letter from one APNU supporter Malcolm Harripaul has been gleefully published by the Stabroek News stating that President Jagdeo sought an invitation to attend an activity in the USA – a fabrication that was debunked by the organisers of that event. President Jagdeo has no need to seek invitations, because he receives so many that he has to be selective in acceptances or he would have no time for state affairs, and he is highly conscious that there is much left undone of the innumerable targets he has set himself. 
However, his detractors leave no stone unturned in trying to belittle his status and his achievements – which they cannot aspire to.
People create relationships for many reasons, and they meet through many ways. Associating with someone – and even unknowingly entering into business engagements with persons accused of a crime does not make one a criminal, or complicit with a crime if indeed one has been committed. If this was so then the entire PNC would have been held accountable for the crimes for which Abdul Kadir was convicted in the USA, as well as the murderous Guyanese criminals that the state apparatus of the USA are sheltering.
However, every constitution deems a person innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 
The PPP needs to utilize and mobilize its resources to generate funds to campaign for the upcoming elections and to fund its activities, so it rented its prime real estate to an investor to whom that party’s leaders were introduced many years ago – ironically by the leader of an opposition party. 
For so doing the ruling party is being lambasted by the opposition through its various media houses. Yet those very media houses accuse the government of using state resources with which to campaign, and their accusations are based on the continuation of projects that have been an ongoing feature of government’s national developmental thrust throughout its tenure.
President Jagdeo has every right to build a home for himself in this land that he served so well – just as the publisher of Kaieteur News and other detractors have. He is too busy to source his materials and probably left all the practical details to contractors. 
What makes him complicit in criminal activity if the supplier falls foul of the law in the land in which he is domiciled? If association makes one a criminal then every opposition member and detractor of the government would long have been in jail.
During a recent interview with young ministers Dr. Ashni Singh and Mr. Irfaan Ali, I heard the passion in their voices as they spoke of the developments in the national construct that they have driven, or have been a part of – especially when their emotions ran high as they began recalling stories where persons have related to them that their lives have been improved in some way or another through their (the ministers’) indefatigable efforts and committed work in programmes that are bettering people’s lives and lifestyles countrywide.
Yet, mere days after Rupert Roopnarine went on an APNU platform to belittle Irfaan Ali and the entire Muslim community, with the allusion to his ancestors being ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ – inferring that because those storybook literary characters were Muslims, Irfaan Ali, being Muslim is  similarly a thief.
What an indictment of Guyana’s entire Muslim community by a politician. And what a revelation of his personal prejudice against Guyana’s highly-respected Islamic community.
Rupert Roopnarine had the temerity to call on PPP members who are true followers of Dr. Jagan to join the APNU for change, hoping to capitalize on Dr. Jagan’s support base; yet it was this same Dr. Roopnarine who objected to Dr. Jagan being President in a PCD administration, forcing the PPP to engage a civic component for the 1992 elections. 
This is hypocrisy, Rupert. Change to what, Rupert? It has amazed me that you of all people would join the PNC – and even claim that they could change this country for a better Guyana, when you know what existed under their (mis) rule pre-1992. For shame, Rupert. You have shocked me. Walter Rodney, Father Darke, et al must be turning in their graves. The more I observe men, the more I like my dog.
I hold no brief for the PPP, but this litany of innuendoes, aspersions and outright lies on government functionaries, merely because persons aspire to high office, even when it adversely affects national development and people empowerment bespeak warped minds and extremely dishonest characters and is very disillusioning, because most of the protagonist are highly influential members of society who should instead use their influence to create a better and more equitable society.
And if this means criticism of government functionaries, then by all means they would be within their rights as citizens of this land to call upon even the highest ranking public servant in the land – the President, to be accountable.
But they have lost every credibility at this stage because their agendas are glaringly self-serving and they have proven that they would go to any dishonest length to satisfy their respective egomania and to pursue their personal agendas.
There are undoubtedly some good people in the PNC but many persons do not want them returned to power.
The combination of Granger as its presidential candidate and Carl Greenidge, PNC Finance Minister who presided over the destruction of this nation’s economy, and who declared during a budget presentation that the country was bankrupt and the economy unsalvageable, is a recipe for national disaster.