THE developing revelations regarding the group, Funding a United Committee for Opposition Presidency (FUCOP), is “reminiscent” of the late former President Desmond Hoyte’s Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEPS).This was according to General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee, during the party’s weekly press conference on Monday at Freedom House.

“The PPP’s concerns over these developments is further compounded over the alarming exposé that resources to finance the election campaign of the PNC/APNU/AFC (People’s National Congress/ A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change) combination is being mobilised by a gathering of sorts reminiscent of Desmond Hoyte’s CREEPS under the guise of the FUCOP,” he said.
According to him, the response to queries by the current leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Brigadier (rtd), David Granger, was an “interesting” one.
“In this connection, it was interesting to hear Mr. Granger pose a rhetorical question to a journalist at a recent press conference asking whether the journalist ever tried pronouncing the acronym,” Rohee said.
He further surmised that the recent revelations could underscore the positions of APNU and AFC on the critically important Anti-Money Laundering and the Countering of the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill.
“(It is a) small wonder why the political Opposition so staunchly opposed the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter the Financing of Terrorism Bill and has shunned any serious discussion on party financing for election campaign purposes,” Rohee said.
The PPP General Secretary expressed the opinion that this position was “clearly a precursor” for what is now being played out in readiness for the elections campaign by the political Opposition.
DOUBLE STANDARDS
Rohee charged that the “double speak and double standards” in which the political Opposition now revels as they “gird their loins” for the election campaign, clashes with the constant harpings on their part about transparency and accountability.
“(This is interesting) especially when pitched against the excitement to enter into secret coalition talks with the AFC and the methodology being contemplated by way of collusion and connivance to conjure up a joint programme and a consensus candidate,” he said.
The PPP General Secretary also underscored that in “contra-distinction” the leadership of the PPP for its part continues to enjoy the firm support of its members and supporters.
“(Our supporters) have been working assiduously to strengthen the party and its structures in pursuance of its inclusionary policy aimed at embracing all Guyanese who are committed to strengthening our national democracy and working for the patriotic and nationalist interests of our country and people with the bottom line at all times being constant improvement in the well-being of the Guyanese man, woman and child,” he stressed.
Rohee stated too that the ruling party’s track record, while in Government since 1992, can be judged on the basis of people-centred development in health, education, housing, labour relations, restructuring of the financial architecture of the country, the fight against crime and above all maintenance of the macro-economic fundamentals of the economy.
“All of this has resulted in constant and positive economic growth rates over the past years,” he said.
UNAWARE
Meanwhile, the PNCR Leader in a prior comment on the issue of FUCOP’s operations made it clear that he is unaware of any such endeavour.
He dismissed allegations, first made public by the local daily, Guyana Times, that APNU had received millions in funding from publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, and assured that his party has never received funding from Lall.
Granger made it known too that there has been no meeting with his party and the said Committee. “I don’t know what FUCOP is about; we have never had any meeting with FUCOP,” he said.
Without mentioning its source, the Guyana Times further alleged that, “Lall’s ownership of a newspaper allows cash to be collected every day, and this gives him the opportunity to cover the money trail from his other “sketchy” sources of income, as described by the U.S. Political Officer, to be funneled to political Opposition through FUCOP.”