Nigel Hughes’ miscalculation this time will be fatal

Dear Editor,
The announcement by Nigel Hughes that he is unwilling to relinquish ties to Hughes, Fields and Stoby (HFS) until and unless he is elected to a government office is but a sobering reminder that this gentleman will always put his personal interest above that of Guyana and its people.
It is black and white: The benefits derived from having Exxon as a client outweigh the interest of the Guyanese people and Mr. Hughes has made it abundantly clear that he is not relinquishing those benefits unless and until he ascends to public office, where, of course, he will enjoy another set of benefits.
Editor, this level of selfishness, arrogance, and unpatriotic behaviour should never find its way into the halls of power of this country.
By his own admission, Mr. Hughes is incapable of representing the interest of the Guyanese people having been elected to the position of Leader of the AFC – a party which has parliamentary oversight for the petroleum sector through which Mr. Hughes’ firm is benefitting handsomely.
These were his words: “If you hired me in a case against the government of Guyana and you’re going to get an advantage to the disadvantage to the citizens, are you saying I should compromise the quality of advice I give to you and the quality of representation I give to you because Guyana is on the other side? That can’t be right.”
To summarise, Mr. Hughes has indicated in no uncertain terms that it would not be right for him to put Guyana’s interest above his client’s.
To further insult the intelligence of the Guyanese people, he then made a futile attempt to argue that he would not participate, recommend, intervene, or engage in discussions on oil and gas within the AFC as this would be left to a two-man advisory committee.
In what world does Mr. Hughes honestly believe that as the leader of the second largest opposition party in a country, you have the liberty of not sanctioning your party’s policy vis-à-vis the most important sector within that country? Is his position in the AFC therefore one of mere convenience and is he saying to his supporters that he will singlehandedly decide how and when he will represent their interests?
Editor, representational politics is the bedrock of any democracy. The fact that there exist competing interests – private vs. public – and Mr. Hughes has chosen the former over the latter, renders him incapable of serving AFC supporters and by extension the people of Guyana.
Notorious for miscalculations, I posit, finally, that Mr. Hughes will overestimate his abilities and miscalculate his chances of becoming President. This, I humbly submit, will deliver a fatal blow to his already unstable political career.

Yours faithfully,
Ravin Singh