UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE EXPOSED WHAT MOST GUYANESE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT PPP HUMAN RIGHT ABUSES, CORRUPTION AND BAD GOVERNANCE
Over the [past few] days, the hearings of the UN Human Rights Committee exposed what most Guyanese already know about the prevalence of human rights abuses and bad governance in Guyana under the PPP. In particular, despite Minister Gail Teixeira’s efforts at spin doctoring, evading, and fabricating, the government could not hide its bad attitude and poor record on the rule of law, transparency, inclusivity, accountability, and human rights. In addition, the government was exposed for its high levels of corruption and its unwillingness to investigate allegations of corruption and bribery against its high officials.
While the hearings before the UN Human Rights Committee have been an embarrassment for all Guyanese, we all are happy that the PPP regime has been exposed to the world as an undemocratic, secretive, divisive and incompetent authoritarian regime. The hearings removed all the pretense of the government that it is democratic. Its authoritarian nature has been laid bare for the world to see.
The poor performance of Minister Teixeira is a clear manifestation of them being dis-accustomed to being questioned and interrogated since in the National Assembly in Guyana the PPP has destroyed all the democratic forums, inclusive of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committees and therefore is not accustomed to being accountable. In Guyana, the PPP refuses to engage in debate on critical issues and, in the case of the Public Accounts Committee they have made it impotent by changing the law to ensure that they are not grilled and therefore not accountable for the use of taxpayers’ money appropriated by the National Assembly. He who destroys democracy cannot operate in a democratic environment and therefore the government was bound to be embarrassed before the UN Human Rights Committee.
We are concerned that the PPP Minister misinformed the UN as it relates to constitutional bodies especially the appointment of a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice. In this regard, it must be recalled that the Opposition not only agreed to their appointment, but also wrote President Irfaan Ali requesting that we meet to consider these appointments. The President arrogantly responded that it is he who will determine when these processes will occur and to this date he has not seen it fit to initiate the process. It is therefore disingenuous and wicked on the part of Gail Teixeira to suggest that the Opposition is responsible in any fashion for the non-appointment of these two distinguished ladies and the identification of Opposition representatives on Commissions and State Boards. The PPP has refused to make these appointments, and in the case of the appointment of the Opposition representative on the Investment Committee of the Natural Resource Fund, even though the Opposition submitted a nominee, the PPP until today has not appointed that nominee to the Board.
It must also be mentioned that the Opposition submitted its nominations for the Constitutional Islahat Commission and to date there has been no appointment by the President.
The UN committee must be commended for interrogating several major acts of PPP bad governance and corruption, such as Jagdeo and Su-gate, the discrimination in the allocation of State resources, the politicization of State institutions such as the Police Force, the non-appointment of opposition reps to State Boards, and the pretensions at revising the Amerindian Act.
Quite evidently, the Ministry of Governance is nothing more than an empty and fraudulent portfolio (through no fault of the staff there). Despite a budget of several hundreds of million dollars since 2020, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance can point to little or nothing that it has done to protect and promote human rights and good governance in Guyana. In fact, the Ministry has been complicit in the bad governance and corruption practiced by the PPP government. No one should be surprised – the Minister herself is an initiator, condoner, and perpetrator of bad governance. Witness her silence in the frequent abuses of women by her government and party colleagues, particularly in the Charrandass and Dharamlall scandals. Witness her abuse of parliamentary procedures to sanction eight opposition MPs without due process. Witness her cowardice and reluctance to join the cause against the corruption, executive abuses and lawlessness, discrimination, and politics of exclusion in the party and government she represents. What purpose is a Ministry of Governance if the very Minister is part of the governance and human rights problems?
Turning our attention to Jagdeo and Su-gate (which the UN panel also queried), it should be noted that the Opposition had on numerous occasions called for an impartial investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption made against second Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. It should be recalled as well, that both President Irfaan Ali and Minister Robeson Benn promised an investigation. None was held. It was therefore disingenuous for the Minister to contend that there were no complaints against second Vice President Jagdeo. And even if they weren’t, the information was in the public domain and therefore there should have been an investigation. The PPP is afraid of investigations, because one investigation could trigger the opening of the floodgates against PPP corruption and bad governance.
Bharrat Jagdeo, in defiance of the national distrust of him, continues to assume increasing responsibility for foreign investments and the oil sector. Today, we can see where he has taken this country with his incompetence, recklessness, lack of patriotism, and technical, and other forms of ignorance. More and more, he jeopardizes the basic aspirations of Guyanese to a decent life and economic prosperity. This is among the most grievous violations of human rights under the PPP.
Good governance and human rights in their fullness cannot survive, let alone thrive under the PPP. Its politics of exclusion, dominance and total control is more akin to totalitarianism. Such a philosophy has no tolerance or space for democratic values.
Its economic policy of crony capitalism (PPP elites, friends, families, favorites and flatterers raping the national economy) will never liberate or empower ordinary Guyanese. Guyanese in Guyana and the Diaspora didn’t necessarily need a UN Human Rights inquiry to tell us what we in Guyana all know. We know it, we live it and we oppose it. The Opposition will continue to expose and defend the people against PPP human right abuses.
We in the Opposition are committed to the promotion of good governance which is premised on equity, transparency and accountability. These principles will inform the APNU+AFC government as we pursue a people centered development strategy that puts the people of Guyana first and has as its main objective the delivery of a high quality of life for the people of Guyana.