I WOULD like to extend commendations to the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mr. Anil Nandlall for his excellent piece that he released to the press pronouncing on the AFC’s leader Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan remarks in the media, saying that government is interfering in the Police investigation of the Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh for his spending of $4.5B that were disapproved by the combined Opposition.

Mr. Ramjattan’s sentiments that he was “reliably informed that the Government is in fact interfering with the investigation, with ranks being told to delay the process” is in its entirety too far flung a reason for him to make such a damning pronouncement, which seems clearly intended to paint the Government and the Guyana Police Force (which he had faith in to levy the complaint) in a bad light.
It is for this reason that I praise Mr. Nandlall for his apt and eye opening response rubbishing Mr. Ramjatan’s loose and in the words of the Minister “unsubstantiated” allegations. The AG rightly pointed out that not one iota of evidence was put forward suggesting that the government interfered in any process and, quite frankly, if Mr. Ramjattan was “reliably” informed, it means he is operating on the assumption of hearsay and using that for the basis for your argument is indeed irresponsible.
Moreover, when I read the AG’s response, it dawned upon me that if Dr. Singh is guilty of committing a crime then every single member, including Speaker of the National Assembly and the combined Opposition is guilty of aiding, abetting and conspiring to commit the same crime.
The reason I say this is because, as the AG factually pointed out, the same actions that were taken by the Finance Minister to restore parts of the budget even though it was disapproved in 2014, was taken in 2012 and 2013 and were never challenged.
It is therefore bewildering that the Opposition parties would come and say to the people of Guyana that the restorations made by the Finance Minister are “illegal” when they assented to restorations that were disapproved in 2012 and 2013.
So if the combined Opposition (the AFC and APNU) seems so hell bent on articulating that a “crime” was committed then they themselves are guilty of supporting such “crimes” as it happened in 2012 and 2013.
I think the Guyanese people are smart enough to understand the political games that the AFC and APNU are playing and know that at the end of the day, with all the cuts and disapprovals, we are the ones that suffer. Just ask the sugar workers, the University of Guyana students, the Amerindians, just to name a few who felt the direct blows of the cuts levied at the hands of the combined Opposition in the 2014 budget.
Nothing happens in isolation of the other and when one sector or part is denied growth, then we are all collectively stagnated.
STEPHEN KISSOON