THE Progressive Youth Organization (PYO) has noted with great concern the deliberate absence of Alliance For Change (AFC) Members of Parliament, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan and Mr. Moses Nagamootoo from a nationally televised debate on Tuesday evening on the operations of NICIL for which they were invited. “Their refusal to substantiate their wild accusations regarding corruption as part of a sustained misinformation campaign over the past few years against the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and successive People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Governments was not entirely unexpected as the PPP and Government have always maintained a high level of transparency and accountability which could be publicly scrutinized,” the PYO said in a statement yesterday.
It said the refusal was also a sign of cowardice on the part of Ramjattan and Nagamootoo.
“They have been disseminating mis-information and making wild accusations.  However, when the opportunity presented itself to confront the main players of NICIL, they hid obviously afraid of the confrontation,” the PYO posited.
“Clearly, Ramjattan and Nagamootoo were engaged in a deliberate exercise to mis-lead the public. This is immoral at best as those ‘honourable gentlemen’ have mastered the craft of deception,” the organization charged.
PYO said the call by Ramjattan and Nagamootoo over the past few years to hold persons accountable for their actions and improved transparency “now rings hollow, even more so given their many public gimmicks in the lead up to the last National Elections on the need to have public debates”.
“ Why is it they are shying away from it now?” the PYO questioned.
It said equally disturbing is the admission by the publisher of Kaieteur News, Glen Lall that he publishes without verifying whatever the opposition tells him.
The PYO noted that this is despite the fact that the information from NICIL was always available having been laid in Parliament.  “We do hope that the local ‘independent’ Press Association which has been silent so far on the moves by the opposition to completely remove the information arm of the Government via GINA and the regional and international bodies are taking note of this very damaging admission,” the organization stated.
In conclusion, the PYO said it would like to remind the opposition that they have an equal responsibility to be accountable to the people of Guyana for their actions, particularly since their deliberate mis-information has hurt the national interest of our country and erode present and future gains of all Guyanese.
“The absence of Ramjattan and Nagamootoo has exposed them for what they really are, mischievous and spineless and afraid of the truth,” the PYO charged.