APNU, AFC trying to rid Guyana of all its human & financial resources
– slams Opposition’s persistent hostility to both investors and qualified young Guyanese

A PARTNERSHIP for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Joseph Harmon, on Thursday, responded to a statement by Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, earlier this week, on the party’s line of questioning as it related to the e-governance project, headed by Alexei Ramotar.Harmon questioned why the Finance Minister “pre-empted” the parliamentary questions directed to Prime Minister Samuel Hinds.

‘I maintain my position that responsible political leadership behooves us to encourage young qualified Guyanese to remain and play their part in helping to develop our country. In much the same manner, investors should be encouraged to invest and grow their business in Guyana.’ – Dr Ashni Singh

And at an impromptu press briefing in the Committee Room of the Public Buildings, he declared that the Finance Minister’s response was “aggressive.”

Harmon stated that the answers to those questions will inform further questioning.
In an invited comment, Dr. Singh made it clear that his reply had “absolutely nothing” to do with the parliamentary question.

The Finance Minister said he is sure it will be answered by the Prime Minister at the appropriate time.
“I maintain my position that responsible political leadership behooves us to encourage young qualified Guyanese to remain and play their part in helping to develop our country.
“In much the same manner, investors should be encouraged to invest and grow their business in Guyana.

SUSTAINED ABANDONMENT
“The actions of the Opposition display a sustained abandonment of this obligation and they must be held accountable for their persistent hostility to both investors and qualified young Guyanese persons,” he insisted.
Earlier this week, Dr. Singh pointed out that investors are being chased away and young professionals targeted, two developments that have resulted from positions taken by the joint Opposition.
In his statement, the Finance Minister charged that, between APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC), there is a collective effort to rid Guyana of all its human and financial resources.
“This has become even clearer with recent events that are unfolding before the public.
“So far, we have seen the Joint Opposition’s concerted effort to chase away investors from Guyana. In less than six months, two major international investors, Muri Brasil Ventures and Blackstone Group which pulled out of the Amaila Project, were forced to walk away from doing business in Guyana as a direct result of Opposition hostility.
“As if chasing away investors is not enough to satisfy their lust for power, afforded by their one-seat majority, they now move to attack and, ultimately, chase our human resources: our young, qualified professionals working in Government.
“…APNU’s Joe Harmon is copying from his AFC friend’s playbook, by doing the same thing to Alexei Ramotar and the project he leads.
“It is not by coincidence that Harmon and his party chose to publicly question the merit of Mr. Ramotar.

STRATEGICALLY DONE
“This was strategically done because Alexei Ramotar is the son of President Donald Ramotar. Alexei Ramotar was hired in 2010, prior to his father’s run for presidential office and was deemed the most qualified for the job at that time. Today, he remains one of Guyana’s most qualified in his field, with a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo, over a decade of work experience where he led numerous projects in his field and several academic awards and publications.
“…at a time where there is a high global demand for skilled personnel, politicians and policy makers alike should support and encourage young professionals to remain and contribute to Guyana’s development and not attack them and render them collateral damage of personal political vendetta,” Dr. Singh charged.
The minister doubted Guyana’s ability to attract qualified, skilled personnel to remain in the country when they are “vilified”, much the same like international investors, by the Opposition.
He told the Guyana Chronicle that he stands by his comments and reiterated that they were in defence of both young professionals and legitimate investors, all contributors to Guyana’s economy.

(By Vanessa Narine)