-says PPP members jockeying for positions at upcoming congress
By Ravin Singh
IN defence of the Peoples’ National Congress Reform (PNCR), a member of the coalition parties that have formed the Government of Guyana, incumbent party Chairman Basil Williams has dismissed allegations of corruption levelled against the Government by the Opposition Peoples’ Progressive Party (PPP), stating that the word “scam” took prominence while the PPP was in office.Serving as the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs in the APNU+AFC Coalition Administration, Williams made these remarks on Friday during the PNCR’s weekly press conference at Congress Place, Sophia.
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, in a statement released earlier this month, said: “The APNU+AFC Government has been exposed with more scandals and corruptions in 16 months than successive PPP/C Administrations were accused of in 23 years.” That statement added that, between June 2015 and August 2016 — a space of 14 months — some 16 “scandals” have been uncovered.
This assertion has not been taken lightly by the PNCR Chairman, who said: “It is under their [PPP’s] watch that this word ‘scam’ really took prominence.”
Williams said he recalls vividly that, in 2010, there was the milk scam; the law books scam; the remigrant and duty-free scam; the Cane Grove Conservancy Dam scam; the Wildlife scam; the export of dolphins scam; the Polar beer scam; and even to this day, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) scam.
“So they [PPP] are the people who created this whole thing called scamming. And they believe the Guyanese people have short memory,” Williams said.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, had previously urged the PPP to release the list of scandals, and the PNCR Chairman has suggested that the Guyanese people should judge for themselves.
He also suggested that this was an attempt by PPP members to show that they are capable of challenging the APNU+AFC coalition, given that the PPP’s congress is expected to be held shortly.
“They [PPP] have their congress coming up and so they want to get positions. They’re jockeying for position in the party, and so they must show that they could deal with the APNU+AFC; but that is not the way to do things,” he charged.
Sparing no effort at highlighting his assessment of the PPP’s performance in office, Williams said the PPPC had “mistreated this nation and impoverished the people.”
He said he believes the populace is aware that this government would bring the change they desired, since this government does not have “scammers” in its midst.
