Dear Editor,
I READ with disgust the attack on Prime Minister The Hon Moses V Nagamootoo in a letter by one “Lisa Ally” appearing in KN (29/3/17).
I listened to the prime minister’s speech with rapt attention and felt proud that he stood tall before an international audience and delivered extemporaneously, a brilliant exposition on the issue of oil and gas, and exhibited such great knowledge about the issue.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo addressed the matter of “resource curse” that has affected many oil- producing states and assured that the Granger-led Government would support legal and institutional mechanisms to ensure that our oil and gas industry will not be contaminated by corrupt practices.

He referred to the ongoing efforts to start a process of constitutional reform to avoid authoritarian rule, and to strengthen the integrity law to help combat sleaze and corruption among public officials. It should be noted that the context within which the prime minister was speaking, was that of “pervasive corruption” under the previous Jagdeo-led government and the abuse of constitutional requirements for the spending of public funds.
There was nothing “misleading” about what the prime minister said.

The writer referred to the D’ Urban Park Stadium and claimed that money went into “private pockets.” I recall that the opposition had raised this matter in the National Assembly, and full disclosures were made. This project, now a symbol of national pride, is unlike the secret, shady deals made by the Jagdeo regime. As regards the Sussex Street bond project, full disclosures were also made in the Parliament and it led to a minister being removed from the health sector. It would be admitted that the project had left much to be answered, but in the end, it was not covered up.

I know that the prime minister is more than able to defend himself as he had been the target of all types of mischievous attacks and character assassination. But this I know: this man’s hands are clean as he has repeatedly stated and remains for me a model of what an honest politician/statesman should be. I cannot say the same about many who had paraded as leaders in the past, but are now the subject of criminal investigations for misappropriation of state assets and are busy trying to hide under “immunity.”

Regards
Earl Hamilton