PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar has repudiated recent media reports that former President Bharrat Jagdeo is still ‘steering the wheel from behind the scenes’. The incumbent Head of State even regarded as a distortion a recent Kaieteur News report that Dr. Jagdeo had been working at the Office of the President during his absence while on official business overseas.
He said the former president was at the time rendering his expertise in the review process of all government projects based on a request he (President Ramotar) had made prior to proceeding on his trip.
Speaking to National Communications Network (NCN) Editor-in-Chief, Michael Gordon at a special interview yesterday, President Ramotar said that the review was a necessary component in the monitoring and evaluation of major investments.
“It is often reported in the same media, in a critical way sometimes, the money we lost from the EU (European Union) for sugar because we haven’t reached targets and so forth; so I wanted a full review, and in my absence, I didn’t want this work to stop, so I asked former President Jagdeo to follow it up, give me a report,” President Ramotar said.
The full review has not yet been completed, and according to President Ramotar, there is still a reasonably large volume remaining, given the scale of projects in different parts of the country.
The former president’s role at OP should come as no surprise, since it was indicated by the incumbent President on the elections campaign trail that the services of Dr Jagdeo will be called upon whenever necessary.
“He (Jagdeo) has also said publicly that he is willing to help… Jagdeo does not get a salary from the government. What he is doing is at my request and he is doing that as a patriot,” President Ramotar said.