| By Ralph SeeramThe headline contains the exact words of the President in an exclusive interview with me on my recent visit to Guyana. The President’s answer came from a direct question I posed to him during a one-on-one interview in his office.President Donald Ramotar admits that there is an element of corruption but feels that it is being blown out of proportion by the opposition and a hostile press. The President said,UCLA Bruins Jerseys, “Corruption is a cancer in the society and the only way to fight it is to exorcise it from the society.”Part of the problem, the President said, was that people make allegations of corruption, but no one brings any conclusive evidence to him. He pointed out that when he asks people for evidence, they would say that “they don’t want to be involved or they don’t want their name to be called and so forth”. He said that if the opposition has evidence of corruption they should present it rather than make allegation that cannot be corroborated.Despite critics, President Ramotar said that his administration has been making Government more open and he boasts that Guyana has “one of the most transparent procurement systems in the Caribbean”. He added that the tenders are very open to the public, they are opened publicly and the press is invited to these events.”I pointed out the Marriott and the new Airport contracts created public perceptions that they were done in secret by a prior administration, but only came to light during his administration. Mr. Ramotar said that this was not true, that the very newspapers that attacked the contracts, carried the advertisements for the bids.Personally I think that the problem was not disclosing the details of the contract early, but in the real business world, details of contracts are normally confidential until it is appropriate to be disclosed to the public.I questioned the President on the Marriott contract,Ronnie Lott College Jersey, the secrecy of the investors and the omission of local labor. I pointedly asked him if his administration would sign such a contract.The President replied that his administration would frame future contracts differently when it comes to local labor. That is an area that will be addressed in future contracts.Asked about the secret investors,Tim Duncan Wake Forest Jersey, he intimated that the names of the Marriot investors will be disclosed shortly.He feels that the opposition to the Marriott by the AFC was based on personal interest as the Marriott will bring competition to a major financial contributor of the AFC. The President offered to have me look at the Marriot contract which was lying on his desk to verify that it was a good deal despite what the press has been saying.Questioned on whether he will ignore the opposition and restore the budgets,O.J. Simpson College Jersey, President Ramotar said that he will explore all options that he will seek the cooperation of the opposition parties in Parliament, and if unsuccessful,Wholesale New York Yankees Jerseys, move to the courts.Either way he will not allow the opposition to block the development of the country. He explained that pending the final decision of the courts on the 2012 budget which gave the government the right to restore the cuts; he will explore other options to restore the cuts.Contrary to what was portrayed in the press the PPP administration engaged the opposition in full consultation before presenting the last budget and has correspondence to prove it.Questioned on why taxpayers are funding projects like the Marriott and the Specialty Hospital, the President pointed out that Governments all over the world try to stimulate their economy by luring private investors with incentives; in fact it is not uncommon.Some of us in the Diaspora know this to be true. States compete against each other to get industries to relocate to their state, or build manufacturing plants like vehicle production. Here in Florida the state as well as local municipalities, offer tax breaks, land and finance in order to stimulate their economy.In Orlando, Orange County taxpayers funded over US$200M to the Amway Arena for the Orlando Magic Basketball team. What’s the logic behind taxpayers’ incentive, the economic impact on the community, employment as well as the inflow of cash into the local economy, justifies the investment in the long term.Mr. Ramotar is confident that the Marriott Hotel as well as the Specialty Hospital will bring immense economic benefits to the Guyanese economy. He disclosed to me that the Government is in negotiations to bring a well known US airline to Guyana.Snap elections? Ramotar said he is not exactly eager to hold a snap election, but if the opposition forces his hand by not compromising on the budget and other issues he will have no alternative. “The ball is in their court”. He is confident that the PPP will regain its majority in Parliament should an election be held.My interview with the President cannot be summarized in this one article, I will complete in another article, the controversial awarding of radio licences, press freedom and other issues were discussed.Some people who knew I had an interview with the President asked of my impression of the President. Personally I think President is a decent and honest man who deeply cares about Guyana. I think most people underrate him. He is smart and has a grasp of the issues,Joe McKnight College Jersey, and based on our conversation, is aware of some of the wrongdoings and will make every effort to correct them.Despite all the accusations of corruption, no one can point a finger at President Ramotar. Some feel he should be more assertive, but the President has his own style, he tries not to micro manage things as his predecessor did.Ralph Seeram can be reached at: [email protected] |
