Nagamootoo spreading “blatant and absurd lies” – PPP

…after PM claims threatening gesture made at him

Claims contained in Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s column “My Turn” of July 22 are being sharply rebuffed by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

In a statement, the Party denied Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo made any threatening gesture towards the elderly politician.
The Party noted on Monday that Nagamootoo claimed that Jagdeo, at Parliament on Thursday last, “swiped his neck with his right index finger, motioning that someone had cut my throat”.
The Party reiterated Jagdeo’s position that Nagamootoo could not lead talks between the Parliamentary Opposition and the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government because of his lack of a substantial portfolio. As a result, he could not be in a position to treat with and make commitments to the Opposition Leader.
“The PPP wishes to make clear its rejection of this blatant and absurd lie,” the party stated. “Nagamootoo is desperately searching for sympathy by peddling his distortions.
Nagamootoo’s party leader, head of the AFC, Raphael Trotman, has said that the PM would have to step aside while President David Granger leads talks between the parliamentary Opposition and the Government.
According to the PPP, “contrary to these comments, however, Nagamootoo’s ramblings seem to indicate otherwise. The PPP urges Guyanese to not fall prey to Nagamootoo’s charade.”
Jagdeo, on Thursday, reaffirmed the Opposition PPP/Civic’s commitment to being part of any formal talks with the coalition Government, once there was a clear agenda and personnel on the part of the coalition who have the power, portfolio weight, and authority to make binding commitments during the discussions.
The Opposition Leader also made it clear that as a responsible stakeholder, the PPP/C was not interested in entering “cosmetic talks and arrangements” that were aimed at achieving political mileage and deceiving the public that progress was being made between the Government and the Opposition in key areas, especially those related to constitutional reform, governance, and the fight against all forms of political and public corruption.
Jagdeo had made public his Party’s recommitment to being part of discussions sponsored by the Government, once they are transparent, serious in nature, and aimed at tackling some key issues which are eating away at the moral, social, economic and political fabric of society.
He explained that he felt the need to publicly share his Party’s position on any proposed talks, in order to clarify any misconception or belief that the PPP was not interested in dialogue with the Government, and was, therefore, avoiding the same because of its perceived resentment of the Prime Minister, who initially had been identified as the person who would spearhead discussions.
Jagdeo added he was compelled to ensure that the international community and Guyanese within the Diaspora did not get the wrong impression of the PPP/C’s posture.
“I received a call from President Carter, [former US President] Jimmy Carter, and after talking a bit about Guyana, he said to me he had spoken to President Granger, and somehow, (what) he got from that conversation is that the Government wanted to engage with us and we are unwilling to engage, because we don’t like Nagamootoo. So, I said to him that that’s absolutely not true,” the Opposition Leader said.
Even then, Jagdeo had maintained that the only issue his Party has with Nagamootoo was related to his portfolio.