Dear Editor,

I HAVE seen Nigel Hinds’s letter concerning Minister Harmon. I daresay that everything he wrote about, and more, have crossed my mind since this thing started; and I have been trying to figure out what is going on.It just couldn’t be that appointing Tiwari as a business advisor, or telling GRA to hold its hand on the seizure of Bai Shan Lin assets could cause so much attack on the man, for, as far as I am concerned, his actions should be commended in light of what is currently happening to the business community and the economy of the country. Many business people I know feel the same way too.

Truth be told, I am of the view that Harmon has realized what it really takes to run a country, and that witch hunts, vendettas, and exclusion cannot be tenable policy positions, but instead are sure recipes for Government failure.
Ironically, however, it seems that he has now become victim of this recriminatory nastiness he is attempting to steer his Government away from.

He has made mention, or implied, something of a political conspiracy against him. If there is such, my interest is not only for what reason, but by whom.
In pursuit, I return to Hinds’s letter, and its questions. Seemingly thorough as it is, I believe there are a lot of missing ‘dots’ for the connection. A major one for me is the role of the Kaieteur News in all of this. The relentless daily attacks against Harmon continue unabated, and although Hinds did ask who leaked the Tiwari instrument, he surprisingly did not ask “why to Kaieteur?” and whether it was to the publisher or to the editor.

Similarly, the case with the GRA/Bai Shan Lin seizure; why Kaieteur, even though the Guyana Stores taxes and re-migrant Lexus vehicles’ scam are still fresh GRA issues with which the publisher of Kaieteur is allegedly connected?

In addition, I would ask: “Who are the persons in the Coalition most connected to that newspaper? Who are its lawyers? If, as claimed, the Prime Minister, the Security Vice President and the Business Minister — all AFC people — knew about the matters only after publication in the Kaieteur News, then who is the source? Is there someone with big ambitions and an axe to grind? Is there a link to any foreign diplomat? Has Harmon usurped the power (cravings) of anyone in the Coalition? If so, who?

Has he dashed the expectations of a publisher-wannabe-power-broker? If so, how? Are there any links to accountants and auditors who have commented? Is there a sequel to Nassau?

Specifically with regards to the Tiwari case, I ask a few more, as I think aloud: Was Tiwari being paid? What harm did his appointment cause? Did he make a ‘political investment’ in the APNU/AFC campaign? How many votes has the Coalition lost (or gained) as a result? How many, and who are the people he employs? Was Harmon able to get him to do work for free for Government or for any community? Was such precipitate action by the President necessary?

And in relation to the GRA: Now that the Bai Shan Lin assets have been seized, what is the likely progression of the matter? Is Bai Shan Lin in genuine financial distress? What is the current situation in the country as it relates to the private sector and business activity in general? From the duties and taxes now being collected from current business activities, does something seem wrong? If fuel prices were to rise, as they usually do without warning, what would be the effect on Government business?

And do we really believe that GRA can operate without any political direction? Or does anyone at GRA owe his or her employment to political considerations or directions?

Editor, before I write to you again, it is my hope that some answers will come directly or indirectly, as we probe this conspiracy thing. Obviously, Minister Harmon knows a lot more than we do, but I think he should resist the temptation to speak now, and wait for the dots to connect and the unravelling to begin. In any event, judging from previous times, I don’t think he will do a good job at waiting, and I make no apologies for saying so.

I will close now with a bit of advice for the minister: The everyday task of running the country must continue. That responsibility is yours more than anyone else’s; get on with it. Businesses are hurting. People are hurting. The teachers and other public servants are waiting to be paid. The ordinary people, the constituents, believe they are now worse off. Let them be your focus, even if you have to do deals with the devil, or be their ‘Robin Hood.’ Do not be deterred.

Accommodation and inclusiveness are necessary for the sake of all and country, and there is nothing wrong in talking to Luncheon; he was a master at the game. Just don’t appoint him yet.
Yours faithfully,
WILLIAM TELL