The David Granger/Khemraj Ramjattan-led APNU+AFC coalition yesterday went on a tirade against the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) following the appointment of the new Cabinet at the Arthur Chung International Conference Centre.
The coalition made it clear that it sees the appointment as a “rubberstamp” Cabinet under the “authoritarian” control of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.
The coalition hurled insults at Jagdeo, and challenged the legitimacy of the Cabinet of President Irfaan Ali.
Read the full statement below:
APNU+AFC sees new fraudulent ‘Cabinet’ as Jagdeo rubberstamp
The APNU+AFC Coalition has taken note of the PPP’s naming of ‘ministers’ who will now form a fraudulent ‘Cabinet’.
The naming of the various ‘ministers’, resulting from fraudulent elections, is in itself uninspiring and appears to be a hodge podge of misfits and Jagdeo loyalists.
The nation can expect to be besieged by nothing but blind loyalty to the dictates of Jagdeo – from the ‘President’ to the most junior ‘minister’. The new ‘Cabinet’, illegitimate as it is will be nothing more than a rubberstamp of Jagdeo’s maniacal control ‘freakism’. This ‘Cabinet’ is a creature of Jagdeo.
There is the return of Robeson Benn who picked up the moniker of ‘Bruck Up Benn’ during his tenure a Minister of Public Works. He is now appointed to the Home Affairs portfolio. This is a sad day for citizen safety and security in Guyana when a callous, heartless authoritarian as Benn is taking charge of Guyana’s public security.
The ordinary citizens would be justified in being engulfed in fear and trepidation as they go to bed tonight. It was Benn who barged into the National Communications Network and demanded that a local song be banned from the airwaves. This belligerent dictator is now being put in command of the security forces.
A tainted and toxic individual as Kwame McCoy who the PPP, in shame, hid from public view for the last five years suddenly surfaces and is made a ‘minister’. August 5, 2020 will be recorded as a day of infamy, shame and disgrace in Guyana’s national, governmental and parliamentary history.
Vickram Bharrat lacks experience and competence and is a complete misfit at the Ministry of Natural Resources. Mr. Bharrat does not even have the benefit of wither serving a full term as an opposition parliamentarian (he came in as a late replacement for Charles Ramson Jr.) nor did he shadow the portfolio.
Ramson Jr. must consider Bharrat’s appointment to Natural Resources as a slap in his face as he (Ramson Jr.) is the only member of the ‘Cabinet’ who hold qualifications in the oil and gas sector, yet he has been banished from this portfolio.
The appointments of Anand Persaud, Joe Hamilton and Nigel Dharamlall reek of gross incompetence and clearly demonstrates the dearth of quality leadership in the PPP.
It would appear as though the ‘Prime Minister’, Mark Phillips, is without portfolio, yet he has a junior ‘minister’ whom, it appears he will be required to babysit as his full-time occupation.
Notably, no appointment was made for the critical portfolio of finance. No mention was even made.
We take note too that several high-ranking PPP executives and leaders have been sidelined or discarded. These include Clement Rohee, the former General Secretary; Indra Chandarpaul, head of the women’s arm of the PPP; Robert Persaud, a former Minister of Natural Resources; Shyam Nokta, Odinga Lumumba, Harry Gill, Jennifer Westford, Africo Selman and Dharamkumar Seeraj, among others.
It is further evident that the Jagan legacy in the PPP has been unceremoniously demolished and discarded.
Today, Guyanese have witnessed what the APNU+AFC has warned of – that the PPP has not, in any way changed. It remains a one-man authoritarian cult and this has now been formalised with this fraudulent de facto ‘Cabinet’.
