Minister admits to using public funds for elections campaign

Following concerns that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) was misusing state resources for political purposes, a senior Government Minister has admitted that indeed, taxpayers’ money is being used to fund its campaigning activities across the country.

Second Vice President and Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan was on a live radio programme, “Straight Up”, on Thursday evening, when he was asked about the APNU/AFC coalition’s preparation for the impending elections.
In response, Ramjattam explained that the coalition had already started its campaign through the ministerial outreaches across the country.
“We had started our campaign in a sense. We were outreaching in all the areas, even having Cabinet in different areas, having lots of meetings on the weekends especially and carrying our Government projects and programmes for the people to see it themselves and promoting our accomplishments. And that is what part of the campaigning was all about during that time because there was always this 50-50 chance that we’re gonna lose it and indeed, we lost it,” Ramjattan, the newly elected AFC leader, stated.
Since February, the coalition Administration rolled out its “ministerial outreach” programme under the slogan of “bringing Government to the people”.
Government had come under heavy criticism over these outreaches but insisted that they were initiatives aimed at meeting and listening to the concerns of members of the public.
In fact, former Minister of State, Joseph Harmon had told reporters back in February that the outreaches are nothing but “normal Government business” in response to concerns that the coalition was campaigning with state funds.
Harmon, who is now the Director General at the Ministry of the Presidency, had noted that “that is the way Government functions… It is important that Government always meet the people”.
More recently, however, Harmon defended a move by his Administration to secure in excess of $300 million in supplementary funding from the National Assembly for ministerial outreaches across the country.
At May 23, 2019, parliamentary sitting, Finance Minister Winston Jordan had presented Financial Paper 1 of 2019, totalling in excess of $7.9 billion. Of that amount, $800 million was approved for the Finance Ministry, part of which is for “increased activities such as ministerial outreaches”.
Harmon had pointed out that the public needed to see and wanted to be in touch with the Government Ministers more.
“So the outreaches by the Ministers was an approach to listen to persons and hear what they have to say and whether, in fact, what we’re doing is working and if, in fact, they need to give us addition advice. So these were some of the rationale behind the outreaches,” he contended.
Since February, the APNU/AFC Administration has held similar exercises in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Nine (Upper Takatu-Essequibo), 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), and more recently, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
Despite claims that these events are not politically motivated, the outreach held in the mining town of Bartica earlier this weekend attracted much criticisms and concerns after several senior Government officials, including Finance Minister Winston Jordan and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, spouted remarks about “war break”, “street protest” and “troubles” in a bid to push the conduct of house-to-house registration.
However, this incident comes on the heels of a previous one whereby another Minister, during a hinterland outreach back in February, asked residents to vote for the coalition Government.
Citizenship Minister Winston Felix, while addressing a small gathering at Tiger Pond village, located in the Karasabai District, South Pakaraimas, Region Nine, made it clear that he was there simply to garner votes.
“You understand why it is important for us to come and convince you that you should vote for this coalition,” Minister Felix remarked.
He added: “If I wanted to go to church, I’d go to church in Georgetown. I wouldn’t come here for Sunday school. While I wouldn’t mind worshipping with you, but I come here to ask for your vote, let’s understand that clearly. Vote coalition!”