AFC Statements: Pres. Ramotar on Elections Rigging and Government Corruption
1/2 – President Ramotar is totally out of line
The AFC has noted with total disgust the recent comments by President Donald Ramotar accusing the AFC and APNU of rigging the 2011 Elections and campaigning along racial lines. This is totally unbecoming of the President and is designed to destabilise the political dispensation that the electorate voted for. It is a slap in the face for all those who took the time to go out and vote on Polling Day 2011.
The electorate and all the people of Guyana know that the entire elections process was controlled by the government. The PPP/C had the greatest number of polling agents and other staff out on polling day, how could the AFC rig the elections?
The AFC considers it totally ridiculous that President Ramotar would point to racial campaigning during the elections. The electorate knows full well, those, who over the years have campaigned on the race card.
It is clear that President Ramotar does not intend to honour the will of the people as demonstrated by their votes at the last elections. The PPP/C excesses of the past and rampant abuse of power make it difficult for them to relax their stranglehold on power. They clearly fear the effectiveness of this new political dispensation and see themselves being forced to answer to the people and confirm with the Constitution of Guyana. This is alien to the PPP/C.
The AFC calls on President Ramotar to apologise to the electorate and fully retract his statement.
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2/2 AFC intends to take a firm position to stamp out government corruption.
Last week the AFC at its press conference put the Government and Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh on notice that it will have zero tolerance for corrupt practices. We reiterate that position.
On Thursday, February 16, 2012 the Finance Minister will ask the National Assembly to approve spending of some $5.7 billion from the Contingencies Fund. As we said last week this is money that the government has already spent. The AFC intends to scrutinise closely these spending.
The AFC and the people of Guyana, the taxpayers, need to know how the Office of the President spent $25.5 million on the conferment of National Awards and other events. Was any of this money spent for a Jagdeo farewell? The Financer Minister must provide the details!
Close to $7million to the Office of the Prime Minister for fuel and travel. How much of this travel was for PPP/C campaign purposes?
Over $9 million to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs for travel. Again, how much of this was in support of the PPP/C elections campaign?
The Ministry of Agriculture was given over $2 billion for drainage and irrigation work in the 2011 budget. There was a supplementary provision of close to $6oo million then now, an additional $206 million for drainage works in preparation for yearend rains. Did the PPP government not know that rain was expected at year end? And exactly how was this money spent, when Mahaicony farmers and the farmers in the Canal Polders were flooded out? Where did the money go?
On the allocations to the Ministry of Home Affairs, there is a list of expenditures that are elections related. Since 2006 the PPP government knew that elections were going to be held in 2011. Why were these allocations not catered for in the 2011 Budget. This clearly shows bad planning by the government.
The Ministry of Public Works; close to $24 million was given to meet operational expenses. What does this mean? Were these operational expenses? Are we speaking of the breaking down of billboards?
The PPP/C government has grown accustomed to squandering tax-payers money then using the majority it had to railroad these appropriations through the National Assembly without providing answers to the Opposition. That power was taken from them by the people of Guyana.
The PPP/C will be hard pressed to explain these abuses of tax-payers money. We await their answers in the National Assembly.
The AFC wishes to assure its supporters and all the people of Guyana that it will take all measures necessary and allowable under the law to ensure the government is held accountable.
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— Post #1116
