Dear Editor,
CONSIDER for a moment, what would happen if this candidate submitted his resume containing academic qualifications with obvious spurious information to a potential employer. The candidate would never be hired by a reputable business seeking high quality employees.

Surely, there would be curiosity and lots of questions about the authenticity of the academic qualifications, and how they were acquired. However, rejecting this candidate is about the importance of job applicants having integrity. Expectations are a successful job candidate would be honest and trustworthy.

In the next couple of days, Guyanese citizens will go to the polls to elect a president to lead the country. In effect, the citizens are hiring a Chief Executive to run the country for the next five years. For some time now, one presidential candidate has been under pressure to explain questionable information about his academic qualifications. The candidate has not given a satisfactory explanation to the discrepancies because there appears to be no explanations to obvious fabrications. The question for each Guyanese citizen is whether they should hire a presidential candidate who has demonstrated no integrity with his questionable academic qualifications; a candidate who would never be hired by a reputable business where merit and moral character are valued.

His selection as the party’s presidential candidate provided a head-scratching moment. Discrepancies surrounding his academic qualifications were widely reported in the press before the party’s selection process; additionally, he was already facing prior corruption charges in the Pradoville corruption scheme. As former Minister of Housing, he apparently signed off on party elites, and the well-connected, acquiring prime real estate lands below market prices. From all accounts, the candidate’s selection is unpopular with the party base. Party rank-and-file members were disrespected by his selection, and once again taken for granted. Supporters are being asked to hold their noses and vote for a candidate with serious baggage, his selection may be the final indignity for party supporters. There have been non-existent public testimonials on behalf of the candidate.

A newspaper opinion writer, who has his finger on the scale for the opposition party, compared the incumbent president with the deceased President Cheddi Jagan from over 20 years past, obviously unable to find any redeeming qualities about the opposition party’s candidate to compare him with the incumbent president.

The candidate was selected to be the party’s Dimitry Medvedev, who had the title, President of Russia while Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ran the country behind the scenes. He never steps forward as one would expect of a leader; **his countenance reflects an uneasiness, always in the background, acquiescing to a Putin like figure who is the force behind his selection. The candidate will be controlled by the party elites; the Pradoville corruption scheme demonstrated he is a pliant tool. His candidacy does not represent any change from the party’s past governance rejected in the 2015 elections. The party cabal is ready to resume their assault on the country’s norms and values.
Every citizen should reflect on what emerged from his party’s governance i.e. threats to

journalist and the media, political persecutions and assassinations, selling state assets below market price and handing out contracts to the well connected, condoning organised drug trafficking and unexplained wealth accumulation by the elites and the well connected.
Moral leadership matters to a nation. Moral leaders set the correct tone for subordinates and shape the right culture for the nation. A moral leader’s attributes of honesty, integrity, fairness and compassion inspire and motivate us to support them and root for their success.

The issues highlighted of the candidate’s academic qualifications and involvement in the Pradoville corruption scheme were not from behaviours and attributes associated with moral leadership. The candidate is asking us to forget the past when he says his government will have no corrupt ministers. Past history has been a good predictor of the future. This candidate has shown us who he is. A famous literary writer reminded us, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” This candidate does not represent our values and has no moral authority to lead our nation.
Regards,
Deryck Daly