THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) said it has noted, with some alarm, the continued drama unfolding within the camp of the Alliance For Change (AFC), regarding the ‘mercenary-type’ position of its leadership on Guyana’s major infrastructural projects.

“The party’s release of a draft Code of Conduct for its leadership is nothing but an attempt to distract from what the PPP has been contending all along and that is the fact that AFC leaders are using their public portfolios in the opposition to push the agenda of their private business interests,” the PPP charged in a statement yesterday.
According to the PPP statement, which was read by the party’s General Secretary Mr. Clement Rohee at a news briefing yesterday, this is most glaring in the efforts to sabotage the realisation of the Specialty Hospital by Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan and his AFC clique in the National Assembly, as he was employed by the company which lost out on winning the bid to construct the facility.
The statement said, interestingly, it was no other than Mr. Nigel Hughes who rushed to the aid of Mr. Ramjattan when the PPP had raised this very serious issue.
Hughes was quoted as saying: “There is no rule in the profession that stops Ramjattan, who is a practising attorney from plying his trade as a lawyer.”

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP
The PPP said those following the issue will recall that similar comments were, in turn, offered by Mr. Ramjattan in defence of Mr. Hughes, when the personal relationship of the latter with the Amaila Falls hydro project was publicised.
The PPP statement read by Rohee  continued: “You will also know that AFC Member of Parliament, Mrs. Kathy Hughes is employed as the public relations consultant for Sithe Global.
“Therefore, it is easy to see that the longer this national project was dragged out, the more financial resources the company would have had to expend locally and ironically it was only when the company announced it would cease all financial interest and withdraw from the project that there was a rush from the AFC camp, inclusive of Mrs. Hughes, to vote in favour of critical legislation they were opposing all along.

“We are also reminded of the AFC’s strenuous opposition to the Cheddi Jagan Airport expansion project and their vicious attacks against the Chinese construction company contracted to execute the project, only to witness their Vice-Chairman, Mr. Moses Nagamootoo, leading a delegation from the very company in talks with his colleague and Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Raphael Trotman.

STRENUOUS EFFORT
“Then there is the party’s strenuous effort to attack the Marriott Hotel project and then it was later publicised that the owner of the Pegasus Hotel was opposed to the project and had joined the AFC and had become one of their financiers.
“This concern of the AFC sabotaging national projects for their personal gain is nothing new and was raised on several occasions but that party’s leadership has, consistently, sought to defend itself and justify their actions.
“It is only after they were caught red-handed on this occasion, that they rushed to admit guilt and the ensuing drama unfolded with best actor, Mr. Nigel Hughes, offering his resignation in an effort to reduce further exposure and criticisms of the leadership.
“Just as we had surmised, all along, as soon as they felt the coast was clear, Mr. Hughes has withdrawn his resignation and has returned to his post within the party.
“A quick glance at the AFC’s code of conduct and one would confirm the latest sham they have foisted on the unsuspecting public.
“Just as Mr. Hughes and Mr. Ramjattan were contending, all along, they have crafted their code of conduct to guarantee themselves the right to work for any private company but, even more so, they shall not be required to violate confidentiality with their clients.
“In essence, if their clients do not wish for them to disclose their association with the particular company, they are under no obligation to make any disclosures.

FURTHER EXPOSED
“This embarrassing episode of misleading the public is further exposed by the fact that rather than mandate their leaders to make such disclosures, the AFC clique has also included a clause where they can, in turn, decide whether or not, on a voluntary basis, to make such a disclosure of their personal relationship with any company.
“After this revelation, no doubt the AFC will then rush to say that this is but a draft document but the fact remains that the document contains the thoughts and ideas of its leadership and serves to confirm that they were not genuine with their admission of guilt and apology as the very issue they admitted guilt on, they are now promoting once again,” Rohee posited.
Rohee said the silence of Transparency International Guyana and the other anti-corruption tsars on this unfolding episode have not escaped the attention of the public.