PPP/C boasts unmatched transparency, zero tolerance for conflict of interest – Jagdeo

…slams Opposition’s failed corruption claims

From enforcing the law against public servants guilty of conflicts of interest to making information on billions of dollars’ worth of contracts available to the public, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s track record on transparency is incomparable when placed next to its predecessor in office.
This was according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who noted during a recent press conference that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change’s (APNU/AFC) strenuous efforts to accuse his party of corruption have failed to get traction because the people can see for themselves how transparent the party has been.
“They tried with corruption, to make it seem as though its widespread by taking a few projects. They started with pump stations and a few other projects, to make it seem as though that’s the prevailing condition.”
“We’ve shown that with all the projects done, the success rates as well as the failures. We’ve explained what were the challenges. We’ve outlined all of our findings, family-owned companies, bad evaluation, corruption by engineers, all of that. We’ve outlined it. We didn’t sweep anything under the carpet.”
A sore point has been public servants, in positions of influence, owning companies and bidding for contracts. The Government has made it clear their zero tolerance for such practices, which are clear violations of ethical standards.
Jagdeo pointed out that his Government has had a serious discussion with public servants ranging from Permanent Secretaries to Regional Executive Officers (REO’s), where the state’s expectations were laid out to them. According to Jagdeo, APNU/AFC never did similar during their time in office from 2015 to 2020.
“We’ve made sure we spoke with every Permanent Secretary, every REO, people running like the GGMC, the police force, the army, where big expenditures are made, including public corporations, that there must be strict adherence to the laws and they will be monitored. And if they depart from it, they’ll face the consequences.”
“That never happened under APNU, and we said, here are things we know about. The conflict of interest, we’ve taken action against people in regions, to get public servants (to follow the law). They had to resign, who were getting contracts etc, if they’re in positions with conflict of interest.”
There are also systemic steps the Government has taken to make procurement information available online, such as the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) which releases contract awards and tender openings.
“So, we’ve taken a lot of steps to deal with this. I pointed out about the systemic changes we’ve made, to the website. So, you can have public information to criticise. Even if you don’t agree with us. You will, at least find if X person got contract to lift a bottle of water (and) it’s above a certain level and done through a public procurement tendering process, you will find that on the website,” Jagdeo noted.
Another area that Jagdeo highlighted the opposition’s criticisms have fallen flat in, is the Government’s management of the economy and the cost of living. According to Jagdeo, however, the results speak for themselves, as the Government has managed to mitigate any changes to most of the major drivers of cost of living.
“They can’t handle the fact that on five of the six major drivers of cost of living, we have had no change or great Government interventions in those areas that we control. They can’t beat that as a policy and the sums of money we’re spending to ensure that that happens,” the VP further explained.
Last month, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced a number of measures against the cost of living. One of the key measures announced was a one-time cash grant of $200,000 for every household, which subsequently became a one-time cash grant of $100,000 for every adult Guyanese.
In addition to removing the residency requirement for receipt of the cash grant, the Government also extended the age eligibility. Initially, that cutoff age was set at January 2024. But now, Guyanese who are 18 years and older by January 2025 are qualified to receive the one-off payment.
Another significant measure was the president’s announcement of the Government’s plans to raise the public sector minimum wage to $100,000 per month by the end of 2025. (G3)