“WE believe people have to come to the table if they are seeking public office and account for their record and (David) Granger must account for his record to the people of this country.”This was the position of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who over the weekend took to the podium at the 2015 Babu John Memorial Service, held in honour of the late Jagans and made no bones about Opposition Leader, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger having to account to the people of Guyana for more than 150 missing high powered weapons.

Jagdeo, addressing the thousands gathered for the annual event, called on the Opposition Leader to appear before the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry, since he was a very senior ranking member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) at the time. He should give account for the weapons that had been issued to the People’s National Congress (PNC) during that era.

MISSING WEAPONS

More than 150 high powered weapons were reportedly transferred to the PNC during the 1970’s and 1980’s but have remained unaccounted for, save for the few that had been recovered during shootouts with bandits.

Jagdeo was adamant too that since Granger was a leading Officer in the GDF at the time Dr. Walter Rodney was killed, he must appear before the Commission to bare his soul on what he knows regarding that tragedy.

SEIZED BALLOT BOXES
The former President also demanded that Granger give account for the period when the GDF, of which he was a part, reportedly seized ballot boxes, one of the many mechanisms used by the then administration to rig the General and Regional Elections.

The former President in his clarion call to supporters ahead of the May 11, 2015 General and Regional Elections said that one of the key achievements of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic is that it has been able to restore pride to the country. “We have restored dignity to people’s lives.” Pointing to this “crowning achievement”, Jagdeo told his party’s supporters, “the thing that bothers me is that the same people who had snatched those freedoms from us have come back in new guises; they are here again.”

Jagdeo told those gathered that Granger was a senior Officer in the GDF when the ballot boxes were stolen and when the guns went missing and “he (Granger) is saying I don’t have to account for that – that is in the past.”

The former President told supporters to forget about any notion about Granger being new to the fray and said “we believe people have to come to the table if they are seeking public office and account for their record.”

VINTAGE FORBES BURNHAM
Jagdeo was adamant that, “Granger must account for his record to the people of this country before he attempts to be their President, because how do we know he is not going to return to that period.”
The former President also dismissed Granger’s proposed economic strategy for Guyana as being “vintage” Forbes Burnham.
“His (Granger) own mindset, his philosophy is dominated by that period of Burnhamism, they gone back to the old Burnham philosophy about three Vice Presidents, a Prime Minister and a President, that is exactly from Burnham era.”

In what could only be construed as a warning to supporters, Jagdeo said that a Granger-led Opposition wants to reinstitute the Guyana National Service (GNS), the now defunct paramilitary organisation.
“They argue that Jagdeo pension will break the treasury but they have five persons now that this nation will have to carry, three Vice Presidents, a Prime Minister and a President and they talk about cutting costs…this is all age-old Burnhamism, vintage Burnhamism,” the former President asserted.
Not wanting to knock the Opposition Leader over his age, Jagdeo told the Babu John gathering, “he (Granger) is getting up there in age and he is stuck in that mindset, the time warp of the 70s and the 80s he draws his inspiration, his philosophy from that period.”

In fact, Jagdeo told those gathered that he was not surprised when Henry Jeffrey, “one of their biggest lovers called his speech at the launch all fluff…it was fluff, more fluff and all about fluff.”
Jagdeo was at the time taking a jab at the recent launch of the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition.

At the time Granger proposed that the Opposition coalition, if elected, would focus on a number of sectors including ICT, youth and education.
An incensed Jagdeo used the occasion to publicly respond to the Opposition Leader. “If he wants to talk about the same things that he mentioned ICT, etc, I can stand here tonight and speak for four hours on ICT, new frontiers of growth, our plans for the education sector, health care transformation, how we intend to tackle poverty, what we are going to do about sugar in the future, how we are going to ensure that rice farmers can get the price…” at which time he was interrupted by the deafening applause.

According to Jagdeo, “we can talk about that because we have gone through it, we have lived through it…it is not all easy.”

Jagdeo who served as Executive President from 1999 to 2011, reiterated that running a country is not an easy affair, adding that the only voices out of the Opposition camp speaks to what they are against.
He cited examples of the projects the Opposition have been against and named the Berbice Bridge, the Specialty Hospital, the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Plant and the Marriott Hotel, among others.
Jagdeo also reported to his party supporters that the political Opposition has taken an adverse stance against both the rice and sugar industries.
“In fact they said they would close the sugar industry, they against every single thing…You do not run countries by being against things,” Jagdeo stated.
According to the former President, the Opposition has never made public what it stands for, and it has never engaged in a policy debate.

He told the Babu John gathering that the Opposition has been opposed to the development of hydro that can significantly reduce the cost of electricity generation but has offered no alternatives instead.
“How are they going to bring cheaper electricity to the country, what are their plans,” according to Jagdeo, who answered “zero.”

(By Gary Eleazar)