GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday March 4, 2015
Cummingsburg Accord rooted ...
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From page 5
was founded, all of those have been thrown through the window, by simply an invitation extended by the PNC to join them.” This, for the AG, is really “the lure of power.” AG Nandlall recalled that the AFC had said over the longest while and quite incessantly, that there will never be a fusion with another party. In fact, he still remembers, that just one month or so, before the accord was actually signed, Mr. Ramjattan, the leader of the party said that if the AFC should collate with the APNU, the AFC would be ‘Dead Meat.’ Mr. Nandlall concluded that the AFC is a party that is embroiled in internal ramblings, noting that “members once championed the cause of transparency, of good governance, of accountability.” However, as their many leaders keep resigning, their one common allegation hovers around a lack of transparency, a sense of accountability and high-handedness, by those in the upper echelons. Minister Nandlall went as far back as 2012, citing Berbician Haseef Yussuf, who left the party, and now only recently, Balwant Persaud, “all of them making the allegation that there is no accountability in that party, that there are no records of
money that is received by the party, that the party acts in a high handed manner, that there is no consultation.” At the deeper level, the minister explained that there was no consultation, when Nagamootoo was made the AFC’s Presidential candidate. The same he said obtained when the accord and the coalition were entered, that is “the party is being hijacked by four or five named individuals, and I say all of that, to deal with the quality of the players, who are part of the coalition, I say that to demonstrate that they have never, on both sides, demonstrated pro-democracy tendencies, they have not demonstrated that they are bound by any set of principles,” the AG lamented. TRACK RECORD In concluding remarks, the AG repeated what he said that all Guyanese already know, that is, “the healthy PPP/C’s track record of progress and how we have transformed the Guyanese economy and the lives of the Guyanese people over the last 22 years.” For the minister, this solid background covers all the sectors, “be it the agri-
culture, education, health and housing and you will see the transformational hand of the PPP/C at work.” He added that the Guyanese people are quite comfortable with the PPP/C administration, as “we are the known ones to be trusted, and we have a track record and we have touched the lives of Guyanese of every walk of life in this country, from one end to the other end.” AG Nandlall stated that Guyanese, wanting to be objective, can indeed point to something, either in their street, village or community and show the transformational developmental hand of this Guyana Government. He pointed out that on the other hand, “the amalgamation of two parties, the merger of two parties, one which has been in government and during that time rigged the elections in Guyana to stay in power, brought a country that was identified to be the breadbasket of the Caribbean, from that high position to one of bankruptcy… being the poorest country in the western hemisphere, second to Haiti , and in the interim, destroyed every single sector in the economy, and to keep itself in power, was prepared to do anything, and so has been implicated
in various allegations of murder and assassination. This for the AG is the sordid record of the PNC and on the other hand, he said, you have the AFC, which is made up of some persons who have come from the PNC. The minister was not soft on those who defected from the PPP/C, to join forces elsewhere. He outlined them as “people who are bitter and feel that the people of Guyana owe them, and therefore they should enjoy government.” He pointed to the reality that “these few do not stick to any set of principles and that the very things that they speak about publicly, they do not practise them it in their own private political party.” He said that this kind of people are not in for the long haul, but “are here to try their hand and see whether they get political office, as their vision is short termed.” For Minister Nandlall there are just the two simple choices for the electorate: on one side, they have security, a great track record, and people to trust, where the PPP/C is concerned; on the other hand, there are the people who have impoverished Guyana and who would do anything to get their hands on the reins of government. (GINA)
AFC Parliamentarian libels PPP Executive KN’s attack ––ordered to issue public apology, pay damages on GINA ...
From page 6
The timing of the attacks also raises questions on the motive of the attacks. “The Guyanese” was first published back in October of 2014, and now almost six months later, the Kaieteur News chooses to launch these attacks. Why wait this long? With elections two months away, this is without doubt an attempt to try to discredit the Government Information Agency in the build up to elections. I would also like to highlight the fact that the claims made by the Kaieteur News are totally in the ‘realm of allegations.’ The Kaieteur News has once again made allegations without anything tangible to provide as evidence. In fact it usually never provides evidence for allegations made. These claims are usually left dangling with no feet to stand on. ‘Russell’s Teapot’ by Bertrand Russell suggests that the party making the proposition that something is true bears the burden of proof. Without any evidence all of these allegations are just conspiracy theories. Before “The Guyanese”, Kaieteur News held a ‘monopoly’ on the distribution of print media to the Diaspora. That’s not to say they were the only one allowed to do it, but they were the major distributor of print media to the Diaspora. It used this advantage to spread opposition propaganda and volumes of ‘unproven accusations’ against the current government. With the rise of “The Guyanese”,
Kaieteur News now finds itself in a position where conflicting information is provided to the Diaspora. Its credibility is at risk, and as I would imagine, it feels obligated to retaliate. This attack on the Government Information Agency also involves personal attacks on staff. Over the years, Kaieteur News has focused strongly on personal attacks; this has resulted in the marginalisation of many who are critical of the way in which it operates. They link persons to issues and use numerous ad-hominem attacks against them. This is a common logical fallacy among the many others used in arguments presented by this media house. Methods like these were used to try to assassinate the characters of Minister Clement Rohee and former President Bharrat Jagdeo. This is an attempt to dehumanise and marginalise people who oppose their methods. With this analysis, it is clear that this is a well-timed act. I think journalists should make it their duty to report with integrity, and media houses should monitor their publications. These attacks on GINA and its staff are uncalled for. These malicious attacks are a direct result of Kaieteur News viewing GINA as competition in the distribution of information. I strongly believe this move is driven by insecurity and malice. DARREN CLEMENTSON
AFTER being hauled before the Courts for libeling Zulficar Mohamed, current Executive Secretary of the Peoples Pro-
PPP Executive Secretary, Zulfizar Mustapha gressive Party (PPP), Alliance for Change (AFC) Executive Member and Parliamentarian, Dr Veerasaamy Ramaya, will now have to publicly issue an apology as well as pay damages. T h e m a t t e r, w h i c h stems from a 2011 tele-
vision programme aired on DTV Channel 8, in Berbice, was wrapped up yesterday before Justice Nareshwar Haranand in the Berbice jurisdiction. During the television broadcast, aired on November 19, 2011, days before that years’ General and Regional Election, Dr Ramaya alleged that Mustapha, then Regional Chairman, had been in the habit of taking bribes. Ramaya, during the airing of the programme, alleged, too, that Mustapha had taken a $6M bribe, which he used to purchase a generator. Following the lengthy litigation process, the two sides agreed to settle the matter. It was agreed that the AFC Parliamentarian will issue a public apology, both in the print and electronic media. Dr Ramaya has also agreed to air a public apology on the television station owned by
Tony Rambarran, which had aired the offending programme in the first place. In addition to the public apologies, Dr Ramaya has
AFC Executive Member, Dr Veerasaamy Ramaya also been ordered to pay $250,000 in damages. Dr Ramaya was represented by Party Leader, Attorney-at-law Khemraj Ramjattan, while Mustapha was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Adrian Anamayah.