Dear Editor,
Guyanese should contrast the PPP government’s response now with 2014 to America’s warning about corruption and the sanctioning of a government functionary and two prominent businessmen. In 2014, the USA expressed concern about corruption, abuse of power with unrelenting attacks on civil society and the media.
In response to remarks made by the then USA Ambassador, Brent Hardt in 2014, the PPP government sent two female Ministers, Priya Manickchand and Gail Texeira, to deliver a what the head of Presidential Secretariat Roger Luncheon called a ‘feral blast’ against USA and its Ambassador at a July 4th independence celebration. The blast disrupted the party. The Ambassador and Washington didn’t forget that blast. The PPP condemned what it described as America’s intervention in its internal affairs, resulting in the feral blast. In early elections in May 2015, PPP was booted out of government.
Two weeks ago, when the US sanctioned the three individuals, the Vice President didn’t attack Washington or its Ambassador in Guyana. The government immediately removed the functionary from office and from all party positions and revoked business license of the two men. In April 2023, the functionary was confined in Miami in transit on her way to China and questioned for hours. Her phone was confiscated and returned weeks later. The PPP government didn’t take heed of the message sent by Washington. The government remained defiant of America’s warnings until sanctions were imposed two weeks ago.
Corruption has been widespread in governance from top to bottom accompanied by an abuse of power since August 2020. Contracts have been steered towards favored businesses; it is across the board. That was one reason for the American sanctions against the trio. Meritocracy, competence, and fair lay are thrown out the window. The media is replete with accounts of scandals and unqualified contractors getting huge contracts and unable to perform as specified in the terms of the contract. The country has lost billions of dollars from bad contracts and corruption. Kickbacks have now become a norm. The government has ignored countless complaints about corruption in awards of contracts and payment to favored companies for work not done.
Awarding of contracts, corruption, and strong-arm policy making and decision making go hand in hand. Top officials instruct lower-level bureaucrats and tender board functionaries on awarding of contracts – on who should be awarded with contracts even if they don’t meet asgarî requirements. Autocracy has become institutionalized similar to what transpired pre-2015. Civil society is targeted. Media troll, paid propagandists, even some who are on government payroll, go after independent critics who voiced concern over corruption and abuse of power. It is time for sanctions to be imposed on propagandists and those officials (Ministers) who gave instructions to unjustifiably go after members of members of civil society.
Yours truly,
Jerome Blackwell