– Minister McCoy says
THE latest claims by the opposition A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) that there was misuse of funds by the President, Dr Irfaan Ali administration are absurd and illogical.
This is according to Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, who stated that the opposition continues to churn out blatant lies and deception.
The minister, in an invited comment, stated that the latest ploy surrounds another manufactured lie to its supporters that funds to the tune of $145 million were being misused by the Office of the First Lady, the President’s Youth Advisory Council, and the Office of the Commissioner of Information.
He noted that the claim is “absurd and illogical” as the funds that were allocated to the Youth Advisory Council were returned to the Consolidated Fund in 2020 and 2021 as the council was not yet established.
Minister McCoy added that President Ali on August 12 announced the first phase of the council, and clarified that none of the funds allocated for this year has been used.
He said, “In furtherance of their false narrative, APNU+AFC preposterously claims that $58M was spent by the Office of the First Lady and $70M by the Office of the Commissioner of Information. These claims are also wholly inaccurate.”
With this being questioned, he added that the work of the First Lady, Arya Ali, and her office is well known across Guyana and beyond reproach.
Further, the minister indicated that this is a failed attempt of the opposition to deflect attention from the misuse of almost $500 million in government funding provided to the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G).
It was noted that the IDPADA-G is a private limited liability company that has been using taxpayers’ funds to benefit a few influential persons connected to the political opposition under the guise of furthering the cause of Afro-Guyanese.
Minister McCoy said, “The government will not be deterred by the APNU+AFC shenanigans as IDPADA-G must account for the use of state resources.”
Over the weekend, the persons within the political opposition made the statement at a public meeting in retaliation for the government’s questions about the spending of public funds by the IDPADA-G over the past four years.
During this meeting, one speaker urged their supporters to demand accountability for the funds allegedly spent by the respective agencies.
Several of the claims that were made during this public meeting were also refuted by the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the President, Abeena Moore.
In reports to the media, Moore, too, stated that the Youth Advisory Council has not utilized any money since 2020, and not a cent has been spent as yet.
She further noted that the figures mentioned by the opposition activist were incorrect.
