Dear Editor
The ideologically harboured thoughts that embody the thinking of many leaders in the PPP about owning the support of a particular sector of our population was vehemently challenged and the reality of this farcical held view was vividly contested several weeks ago at a meeting in Queens New York.

This challenge is as a result of the ever present fact, that the majority of our population the (youth), those who have and are experiencing and witnessing a fairness of the David Granger led Administration that caters for all Guyanese, many who have traveled and lived in the diaspora have harboured and have inculcated a new ideology and way of thinking.

Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, held a Town hall meeting in Queens New York a few weeks ago and when he was greeted with intelligent questions about corruption during and after his tenure as President, he employed his usual dictatorial and condescending style of avoiding the questions and attempted to dominate the narrative of the meeting. However this did not fare well with intelligent Guyanese who had long moved away from Jagdeo’s dictatorship and fascist cabal regime and had for some time grown accustomed to a real democracy facilitated by the United States.

Jagdeo, who could not control the atmosphere, the intelligence of the people nor the narrative, ended the meeting abruptly. But before this unexpected end, his moderator was seen grabbing the microphone from many of those brave Guyanese who dared to challenge Jagdeo’s misrepresentation of the truth about the government and the now more progressive developments happening in Guyana.

It is indeed instructive to note, that those Guyanese in the diaspora who demanded accountability from Jagdeo at that town hall meeting, Guyanese at home who will soon celebrate four years under the APNU/AFC democracy, must also hold Jagdeo accountable for his unpardonable transgressions of mismanagement and blatant manipulation of our treasury for the benefit of himself and his clique who he believed deserved financial liberation. Mr. Editor permit me to give one such example. Let me introduce or reintroduce the company “Queens Atlantic Investments Inc” commonly known as QAII. QAII which was incorporated in 1999 is “legally owned” By Ranjisinghi “Bobbi” Ramroop.

In December 1999 NICIL under the direction of Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington sold Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd. to Ranjisinghi (Bobbi) Ramroop; it is alleged that the PPPC flouted all procurement laws as no other bid was considered.

The PPPC administration allegedly flouted all procurement laws again and purchased all drugs for the New Amsterdam and Georgetown health facilities from the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corp. It is also alleged that the company was not required to tender and hence was not subject to the process of “competitive bidding” to supply these drugs which cost the state several billion Guyana dollars annually.

The Sanata Textile Mill (government property) which consisted of 18.976 acres ( 826,000 sq. feet) of land and several buildings was sold to Ramroop for $697.8 million but it was valued over one billion Guyana dollars.

Additionally Mr. Editor, the current contractual arrangements for the Berbice River Bridge Company Inc. allows for the NEW GPC and another company to control 50%of the company. In a lopsided and very questionable agreement, the New GPC, a company owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobbi’ Ramroop, allows Ramroop and the other company whose investment is less than 5%, to exercise controlling interest over 50% of the company.

The GPC did not have to supply drugs, and other medical paraphernalia, then get paid later, as is the normal way of doing business. Instead the New GPC was the benefactor of insurmountable blatant nepotism, and was given money in advance in many instances to purchase and acquire drugs. It is also alleged that Ministry of Health was instructed by the Jagdeo Administration to buy everything for all the government health facilities from the new GPC.

Bobbi Ramroop who became an overnight billionaire enlarged his territory as he formed five subsidiary companies between 2007 and 2008, the first being Health Care Life Sciences Inc. Again Ramroop was allowed by the Jagdeo government to import all items duty-free.

Ramroop’s other company Health International Inc. also received more duty-free concessions. In 2008 Ramroop started the Printing and Graphics Inc. He again received numerous duty-free concessions, bearing in mind that these items were to print the Guyana Times Newspapers, the now PPP mouthpiece and propaganda outlet. Ramroop the overnight billionaire continued to spread his wings as he formed another companies Global Hardware Inc. in 2008 and Global Textile [Guyana] Inc. Again the duty-free concessions kept pouring in. In total Ramroop’s companies benefited from several hundred millions in major tax privileges and duty free concessions more than any other company arguably in Guyana’s history.

Added to this Mr. Editor, Guyanese who applied for radio licenses over the years, they were not granted same but on the other hand, Bobbi Ramroop received numerous radio licenses/frequencies. Even though, these ridiculous concessions were granted to Ramroop that were not enough. It is alleged that Ramroop did not have to pay any corporate taxes for several years.

In less than five years Ramroop’s companies became billion dollar corporate entities. Laws were changed, broken and bent, all in favour of Ramroop – A man who seems to have no beginning and no ending. It begs the question, why did the former President Bharrat Jagdeo give Bobbi Ramroop such immeasurable favour and unfair advantages? What about the other Guyanese business men and women, why weren’t they given the same advantages or treatment? Someone had to pay for all of those tax breaks that were given to Bobbi Ramroop. That someone is you and I, along with many poor Guyanese. Jagdeo’s practice of enriching one man at the expense of less fortunate Guyanese tax payers is an unpardonable transgression. While he kept teachers, policemen and other public service employees’ salaries ridiculously low.

Jagdeo singlehandedly ensured that Bobbi Ramroop his alleged best friend to become an overnight billionaire at the expense of the majority poor Guyanese taxpayers. Why was Bobbi Ramroop selected for such billionaire status? Why was he given these unbelievable, unfair, larger than life concessions? Who is the real beneficial owner of the billions made from these years of tax holidays granted to Ramroop? I think we all know by now.

It is said, it is a sign of intellect and maturity, when one can read not only what in on the line but between the lines.
Forward ever backward never
Jermaine Figueira
Member of Parliament
Region Ten.