Dear Editor,

JADGEO has a proclivity to do and say things that are many times outrageous, meritless and very questionable.

It is of utmost importance to mention as many times as possible, to remind the citizenry that “Jagdeo’s cabal” cannot be trusted with political power ever in this country again. Their untrustworthy conduct as leaders cannot be matched or compared to any organisation in Guyana since gaining independence as a country.

This cabal was known to be associated with the most notorious figure my generation and this country has ever seen. In our local vernacular, most young people would say, “the character did it like he was doing it for TV”, and it is the PPP directors who facilitated those scenes. And now they are trying relentlessly to disassociate themselves from the man; the man who they knew was wanted in the United States, and was allowed to do a lot of work for the cabal. He also helped many of their cronies and close associates; they even awarded huge plots of Government land in Farm to this known associate who they are now trying desperately to distance themselves from, to build an entire housing scheme, while more than 25000 applicants were waiting on house lots.

This is one example that tells you that the State was run by the Mafia cabal and not by decent, caring and trustworthy politicians. “Jaggie’s legacy” will forever be tainted with the blood of 400 men who were allegedly slaughtered by a ‘Phantom Gang’, and criminal elements who were associated with the then Police Force headed by a known character, who placed a full-page advertisement in the newspaper in 2006, which stated that he “helped the PPP government to fight crime” under the evil and wicked ‘cabal’ administration. Wouldn’t you agree that only a friend would do what they thought was best to help a friend with a situation they are in?

“Jaggie”, who is not the Presidential Candidate of Jagdeo’s PPP has bewitched and dangled the supporters of this now toothless failed relic of a PPP like a stringed collection of puppets and “yes men”, including the “jaganites” who don’t possess the testicular fortitude to challenge his many irrational and pathological thoughts and actions. He has unequivocally taken once again a “chase-them-out” stance on the GECOM enumerators. He has reiterated this call to his supporters, who sadly, like blind sheep going to be slaughtered, foregoing their constitutional rights to be registered to be added to the voters list, and in documented cases chased away enumerators and in some cases even let their dogs out on them.

We must ask ourselves, why is the Opposition Leader, whose political party credits itself as the party which brought back democracy to Guyana, which is a lie, is so fearful, to the point that he is against credible registration for credible elections? Is it because most of their supporters, whose names are on this “expired list”, now live in Queens New York, Canada and other countries around the world? It is because they know they will lose with a much greater margin with a clean list; a list they will not get to manipulate? Are they afraid a new list will also provide new identification cards, which will prohibit them from using those they allegedly have in extremely large quantities?

Mr. Malcolm Harripaul, who was deeply associated with the PPP, has identified several alarming irregularities regarding the voting and election processes of 2011 and 2015, and therefore we must give GECOM an opportunity to correct these issues. The purchasing of voter ID cards; polling places located at the homes of PPP supporters; a PPP-controlled GECOM; PPP phantom voting and ballot box tampering are just a few of the grave irregularities that Harripaul highlighted about the 2011 and 2015 elections. Might these answer some of the questions as to why Jagdeo wants us to use a voters list that is expired, and to have elections without proper preparation?

All right-thinking Guyanese must embrace and understand the registration process is the best guarantee of credible elections. All right-thinking Guyanese must reject Jagdeo’s call to lawlessness, and the use of an expired voters list, even though the courts have ruled and made their positions very pellucid.

His motives for having elections in the shortest possible time should also be examined. Roger Khan’s release from prison is a scary fact for Jagdeo and his cronies. Jagdeo knows that Roger Khan will give evidence in the probe of many unknown murders, including the over 400 slaughtered men that were killed extra-judicial style. I dare to say that Roger Khan, who made a plea bargain in the US to take off 25 years from a possible 40-year sentence will do what is best for him in Guyana.

I refer to letter in the Kaieteur News of December 30, 2018: “Between the period of 2002 and 2006, 784 Guyanese were murdered, an average of 157 murders per year… How can we forget this period of absolute State-sponsored lawlessness, terrorism and extra-judicial killings that took place under the PPP? I have concluded that the PPP is a Mafia parading as a Political party,” Joseph Singh (Ph.DBA).

ExxonMobil has made 13 oil finds thus far, and on Monday, August 12, UK-based Tullow Oil announced it had made “a significant and high-value oil discovery” off the coast of Guyana. This country is on the verge of tremendous prosperity, which is projected to be similar to that of the United Arab Emirates, whose GDP in 2018 was US$414B, and other Middle Eastern oil giants. This is a level of prosperity like we have never seen before. To quote Rystad Energy exploration analyst, Palzor Shenga, “After dominating the list of major offshore discoveries in 2018, Guyana has extended its winning streak. With multiple prospects identified, Tullow and its partners could easily be sitting on a multi-billion-barrel block.” (Oilnow.gy).

Jagdeo is desperate, and with every new oil find, his craving for power and his desperation intensifies. Jagdeo’s tricks and tactics are not new; many of the petty crimes where poor people in poor neighbourhoods are being robbed by young men with high-powered weapons make no sense to independent thinkers. These crimes are similar to the burning of canefields that was done in the 70s and 80s.

He attacks the agencies that are investigating him; he race-baits, and it is a downright racist tactic and should be rebuked by all our citizens. Guyanese, and especially our youths, we couldn’t trust Jagdeo when the country’s economy was a mere pittance and was struggling, while he and his cronies ate steaks and lived like high-rollers, untouchables, how can we now trust him with billions of United States Dollars of our money? He attempts to dominate the media, and continues to diminish his choice by hogging all the attention in the public domain. He himself doesn’t have confidence in his own choice for president, so he keeps him behind the media scene. So why should you?

Regards,
Jermaine Figueira
Member of Parliament
Region Ten.