Skip to main content

FM
Former Member

Greenidge must come clean on sale of state assets – Ali

Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali

… during pre-1992 era
BY MICHAEL YOUNGE
Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali said that there are still a lot of concerns and questions which remain unanswered about the sale of assets in the pre-1992 era under the authority of the then Finance Minister Carl Greenidge, and the Peoples National Congress (PNC) administration.
Ali was at the time contributing towards the debate on a motion brought to the National Assembly by Shadow Finance Minister and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Carl Greenidge which called for the approval of a special audit and investigation into the sale and disposal of state assets in the past 10 years.
The motion also called for Parliament to compel government to provide detailed and in-depth information related to all of the transactions, sale prices and terms and conditions.
The housing minister said that the motion was ill-conceived and sought to ask government to feed the opposition with information about a process that was transparent and open to public scrutiny.
“But Mr Speaker, I can understand the genesis of the motion as the author of the motion presided over a very dark blanket in the era of the economic and social development of this country,” he noted. He contended that during the pre-1992 era and under the PNC administration, there were concerns about “the flight of the assets as he tabled arguments in the Parliament suggesting that a lot of public assets are still not accounted for.
“There was a flight of the assets… one man owned an entire bus park…. when we talk about assets… I can still remember the lost barge… the photograph of the hydropower equipment comes to mind… and that asset still could not be found… globe trust comes to mind,” he submitted, in the midst of increased heckling from the opposition benches.

Shadow finance minister Carl Greenidge

He felt strongly that Greenidge was not in any position to lecture the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration about accountability or transparency with respect to the disposal and sale of public assets. Ali explained too that it was a surprise that the former finance minister was now seeking information about National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) when he was the one that established the company.
Ali said that Greenidge was the one who also had direct control over all the dealings of NICIL, and public assets.
“There was not a body, not a board, only a figure head there,” he remarked, noting “This is an undisputed fact… so Mr Speaker, all the assets that went on flight must be accounted for by the sole hand that administered over them at that time,” he said as government MPs thumped their desks in support of his position.
Self-examination
The housing minister argued that any audit of NICIL must go back and test Greenidge’s management of the country’s public assets too, so that a comparison or appreciation could be had for the improvements in transparency and accountability that have been implemented by the current administration.
Meanwhile, the PPP/C MP said that government had authored a white page which clearly outlined the way public assets were to be sold and privatised since 1993. He disclosed that successive PPP/C administrations have been following the policy and abiding by the rules. He dismissed assertions and allegations that government was using “friendship” and “favouritism” as platforms for privatising and selling, or transferring public assets.
“There is no pointing to any direct report, statistical fact… or analytical intelligent point of view… just mere perception,” he argued, while dismissing the allegations made in the motion about corruption. Ali throughout his presentation pointed to several reports from the World Bank, the International Development Bank and other financial agencies that have lauded government’s economic performance and development.
He urged the House to understand its role and what needs to be done with state assets. He said that NICIL as a company is up to date with its audits as reports are completed for 2010, and there were no instances of corruption uncovered.
“This is playing politics… it’s pure politics,” he asserted, emphasising that NICIL has also been paying billions of dollars into the state coffers over the years.
“The rush was filled with political venom and they could not have stopped to ascertain what the facts were,” Ali remarked.
The minister said that Guyana has accomplished a lot in the areas of development and growth, macroeconomic stability and social advancement. He could not understand the opposition’s obsession with NICIL and state assets since it was just a case again of them politicising the parliamentary process, and flaunting their tyranny of one.
Greenidge has long been criticised for his economic policies and management of the economy under his tenure as finance minister. He has also been ridiculed for his alleged unfamiliarity with the new Guyana and the strides made towards modernisation, the amassing of wealth and prosperity of the people.
Ambassador Odeen Ishmael in a paper published in the Guyana Journal in October 2007 under the title “The rush towards privatisation 1989 to 1992”, brought several controversial transactions and deals to the fore when the PNC was about to exit office.
The deals included the sale, transfer and privatisation of multimillion dollar public assets and companies. He discussed deals related to the then Demerara Woods Limited, the Guyana Timbers Limited, the National Paint Company Limited, the GRMMA complexes and the Guyana Telecommunication Corporation Rainforest concession, among others.
Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh is still to complete his debate on the NICIL motion which ended abruptly after MPs appeared disinterested in going pass the agreed 22:00h time set.
On Thursday, the matter could not be completed either because of the issues that were up for discussion relating to government’s business.  The debate and voting on the motion is expected to wrap up on June 27.

Replies sorted oldest to newest

What is he now calling for 20+ years later?  These calls should have been made a long time ago.  Now, true we all know the PNC raped the national assets, but don't muddy the waters with the endemic corruption currently under the PPP.

FM
Originally Posted by Conscience:

In 1988, the then Minister of Finance Carl Greenidge in his budget speech, publicly declared, the National Treasury was empty

 

 

Fine Albert, no one is excusing away the sins of the PNC.  But please, hold yourself to a different benchmark.

FM

When systems leak money a few do get rich

June 17, 2012 | By | Filed Under Features / Columnists, My Column 

There I was sitting at my desk trying to put the newspaper to bed when I heard that the parliamentary opposition had once more declined to pass the supplementary vote sought by the government. When the opposition voted down that supplementary the first time, I learnt that they cited a lack of information.
Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman later ruled that the government could reintroduce the supplementary, and from all indications, the parliamentary opposition parties seemed inclined to pass the vote. This was not to be. Apparently there was still a lot wrong.


The only reason the negative vote grabbed the headline was because it was most unusual. Generally the government would get its way. But there was never an opposition parliament in Guyana’s history.


I am still to come to grips with the reasons for the rejection. One thing seems to make sense and that is the refusal to vote money for the Low Carbon Development Strategy.  This was supposed to be funded by money from Norway, money that President Bharrat Jagdeo secured.


Two years have passed and not one cent has been released. The reason is that Guyana has to do certain things. For one, it had to detail the programmes for which the money would be used and these programmes all had to do with what is now called green energy.


Some time back I said that if there is money coming for the programme and two years has elapsed without this money then it means that Guyana is not doing what it should, that there were people who were paid to do certain jobs but were obviously not doing what they were being paid to do. I cannot imagine that it would take two years for Guyana to prepare a programme.


This money should not come from the national treasury. Money has already been borrowed and continued borrowing to fund the low carbon programme would only encourage the people to remain lazy.


However, failure to pass that supplementary vote has implications. There were budgetary cuts. Dr Roger Luncheon has said that these cuts have cost jobs. With direct reference to the people employed by the Ethnic Relations Commission. I had once argued that there was money to pay these people. The people at National Communications Network (NCN) certainly had a lot of money on the side.


What the opposition parties have been saying is that there is a lot of theft, that money intended to help the workers was being siphoned off into private accounts. Needless to say, the government denied any such thing until this episode has popped up at NCN. There it was that money that should have gone into the NCN coffers ended up into the private account of senior staffer Martin Goolsarran.


I did not want to believe such was the case until I saw a statement written by Goolsarran admitting that the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company actually made the cheques payable to him rather than to the company.  Something needs investigating at GT&T.


And according to the statement by Goolsarran, the Chief Executive Officer Mohamed ‘Fuzzy’ Sattaur, was aware of this development.

I noted these efforts and concluded that corruption was endemic. It was there at every turn. Just this past week, I learnt that even at City Hall, that more often than not cannot pay its staff, has people stealing millions of dollars.


People who cannot solve the garbage crisis in the city were clever enough to set up dummy companies, to create situations so that they could siphon money to friends although the council had the capability to undertake the tasks.


The police have not yet intervened in any of the cases, so the rest of the society would conclude that stealing is not so bad a thing because you lose the job but you get to keep the money.


When these things happen, the mindset of the political opposition is reinforced. It is this reinforcement that must have influenced the budget cuts.


Then I heard about the sale of the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation. The manner in which this company went to Dr Ranjisinghi Ramroop made me realize that some things may appear to be normal when they are not.
I understood that the late Michael Shree Chand, just before he succumbed to cancer, went to the late President Cheddi Jagan and asked him to sell the company to Dr Ramroop. The story goes that Dr Jagan was not so inclined and invited public bids.
The rest of the story will be told, but word is that the former President Bharrat Jagdeo had something to do with the company going to Dr Ramroop. It would seem that President Jagdeo has been at the centre of the disposal of state assets even before he became the head of state.

 
 
Mitwah

Then I heard about the sale of the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation. The manner in which this company went to Dr Ranjisinghi Ramroop made me realize that some things may appear to be normal when they are not.
I understood that the late Michael Shree Chand, just before he succumbed to cancer, went to the late President Cheddi Jagan and asked him to sell the company to Dr Ramroop. The story goes that Dr Jagan was not so inclined and invited public bids.
The rest of the story will be told, but word is that the former President Bharrat Jagdeo had something to do with the company going to Dr Ramroop. It would seem that President Jagdeo has been at the centre of the disposal of state assets even before he became the head of state.

Mitwah

WE should all be concerned about Corruption. The problem is look who is lecturing on Corruption, Carl " The Snake" Greenidge. More transparency is needed and I do hope the present Govt will be more open to ensure that the People's money is not wasted.

Nehru

What is Irfaan Ali talking about? Let them tell us what they are doing different. FOr example where is the NICIL accounting?

 

And this thief need to inform us how his poor ass self became rich on a minister salary.

FM

I doubt Grrenidge was an tief man...Greenidge worked for several international agencies that are tax free plus they pay high salaries. The two big red flags I can think about under the Greenidge/Hoyte deals are the barge and Guyana Timbers which was clearly under valued. I may have missed a few more bad deals of that era.  

FM
Originally Posted by Tar_K:

I doubt Grrenidge was an tief man...Greenidge worked for several international agencies that are tax free plus they pay high salaries. The two big red flags I can think about under the Greenidge/Hoyte deals are the barge and Guyana Timbers which was clearly under valued. I may have missed a few more bad deals of that era.  

Guyana Timbers made its owners into millionaires. The fishing fleet was sold...sprostons was on the table but the deal fell through. Barama was a PNC disaster for us , so was Omai and GTN. A bankrupt american accountant got that and its 5 million cash in hand as a gift and someone got big graft!

 

Most of these were also cash cow for the PPP thieves. Ramotar squatted on OMAI board and not for pocket change. Note they mined their holdings to exhaustion and never made a profit! Now they are back there doing the same thing. The Vanessa deal was also another crooked PPP deal and there are hundreds similar all with their own kick backs. The PNC did steal a lot but this  PPP has out stolen the PNC by factors of 10s!

FM
Originally Posted by Tar_K:

I'd like him to come clean on how he was able to build a house for G$100+ mill on a Minister salary. These corruptocrats really know how to deflect.

 

TK

 

Is his house really worth $G 100 million ? If so, then we need to send this man to jail with enough evidence of fraud or theft. Someone cannot build a house worth this much on a minister's salary.

 

To have a fair discussion, is the President's proposal for all MP's to declare assets not a fair one ? As such, we will know for sure what each minister or MP is really worth.

 

Sometimes, we need bring this issue of allegation of corruption and fraud to the table with tangible evidence and then bring those guilty of corruption to justice.

 

Failing to do so will create doubt in the minds of the electorate who may see this as a witch hunt for political gain.

 

To be fair, we must also ring in PNC crooks who are still around. We need a dragnet to rain in ANY corrupt politician. Be them PPP or PNC. But it is only after we can prove that they really committed the act.

 

As Al posted here, the "Big Steal".

 

As for the AFC, we are patiently awaiting the results of the investigation into the "election gate affair." I do not see this as a major issue but the AFC needs to prove that they are also transparent.

FM

Yiji,

 

Photographs of his Leonora mansion were published in the KN. The KN also did a story on it. BTW, a contractor told me Jagdeo's mansion is worth US$1.75 mill. I believe him because I drove by the construction site. You must also see the mansion of our avowed communist and leftie Rohee. I saw it because he is close to Jagdeo's mansion.

FM

Strom: "Barama was a PNC disaster for us , so was Omai and GTN."

---

OMAI was a disaster in another context. They paid no profit tax and exported the nation's gold. Was the Hoyte people bribed? Barama helped to kill the plywood manufacturing of the established local manufacturer-Kissoon. That was a bad move by the Hoyte admin.

 

FM
Originally Posted by Billy Ram Balgobin:

Stormy,

 

Do you think the AFC is capable of outdoing the PPP and PNC when it comes to corrupt practices?

 I believe in systems not people. I believe that the present dynamics can grow systems that constrain corruption. Not the PPP, not the PNC and not the AFC can control absolute power. The PNC had absolute power, the PPP had absolute power and presently they still act as if they are in possession of that authority despite being a minority government.

 

 

The opposition has to grind them to that understanding that they do not and they cannot act as if they do. Presently, we have no system to constrain the grasping hands of an Ali or a Jagdeo or a Rohee or a Brassington or any of the thieves in possession of the authority to do what they will with our assets. That cannot be the status quo.

 

The AFC is the only thing going that we have that balances the power of the authority to steal. How things sift themselves out will depend on how they can use the attrition of competing interests in the PPP and the PNC to self regulate.

 

It is our only hope other than violent upheavals in the society. It is no longer the good or the bad of the parties. It is about competing pluralities meeting common ground through negotiation and compromise. If not that then we surely will settle it out in violence. It is what happens to societies as ours.

 

Pray that we settle this before we find oil. If we do and this is not settled then we will, as certain as the sun comes up in the east, have blood in our streets. Our nation cannot sustain itself with one class being prey and the other being predator. Ramotar and the Present PPP has created a patronage system that assures themselves the status of the leech class. The PNC will certainly not have any of that if more money comes into the system and they are being relegated to serfdom.

FM
Last edited by Former Member

Stormy,

 

I do agree with you that systems should be put in place to alleviate gov'ts ability to do corrupt business with contractors. I do believe that there is level of corruption in our country even though it is very debatable when we hear the opposition version of things. I do believe our new president ought to pull back and take a fresh look at the whole picture and try to understand the problems we face overall as a nation and a functioning democracy. Our place in the Caribbean community is no longer one of controversy involving a bogus parliament and an economy exclusively controlled by one ethnic group or a businessmen who are party hacks. The US and British gov'ts have given us passing grades as members of international community that relishes freedom and the rule of law.

 

Our opposition, the PNC and AFC, have been involved in game with the ruling party not to set up systems in place to curb any sort of executive abuses but to soley subjugate the PPP and silent them into corner where they can no longer be a force to reckon with. The PNC successfully subjugated the PPP with the support of a smaller party many moons ago. The PPP has not forgotten that lesson and they will not allowed themselves to be cornered and locked away into oblivion. The opposition has a golden opportunity to use their parliamentary powers responsibly in the interest of the nation but they have chosen to do the opposite. This will spell disaster for the AFC.  We can only hope that good sense will prevail in the AFC camp and old veterans like Moses and Ramjattan can get over their emotional state and make rational decisions that will strengthen our democracy and give some more life to their already fragile political career.

 

 

Billy Ram Balgobin
Originally Posted by Billy Ram Balgobin:

Stormy,

 

I do agree with you that systems should be put in place to alleviate gov'ts ability to do corrupt business with contractors. I do believe that there is level of corruption in our country even though it is very debatable when we hear the opposition version of things. I do believe our new president ought to pull back and take a fresh look at the whole picture and try to understand the problems we face overall as a nation and a functioning democracy. Our place in the Caribbean community is no longer one of controversy involving a bogus parliament and an economy exclusively controlled by one ethnic group or a businessmen who are party hacks. The US and British gov'ts have given us passing grades as members of international community that relishes freedom and the rule of law.

 

Our opposition, the PNC and AFC, have been involved in game with the ruling party not to set up systems in place to curb any sort of executive abuses but to soley subjugate the PPP and silent them into corner where they can no longer be a force to reckon with. The PNC successfully subjugated the PPP with the support of a smaller party many moons ago. The PPP has not forgotten that lesson and they will not allowed themselves to be cornered and locked away into oblivion. The opposition has a golden opportunity to use their parliamentary powers responsibly in the interest of the nation but they have chosen to do the opposite. This will spell disaster for the AFC.  We can only hope that good sense will prevail in the AFC camp and old veterans like Moses and Ramjattan can get over their emotional state and make rational decisions that will strengthen our democracy and give some more life to their already fragile political career.

 

 

 This is not about contractors or bribery and graft in the sub layers of the society. This is about power and accountability at the top from which all the rest flows.

 

Our system is woefully inadequate to meet our needs. It was crafted ( or rather copied)for a homogeneous society where the emphasis is on merit and not on class, creed or ethnicity. It is for people with a strong national culture and identity, something we woefully lack.  We have a vertical bifurcation of our society by and where each of the dominant racial groups identify with a party on account of their race.

 

Because this is so hardened historically in the society an Indian based party, the PPP,  can easily co-opt all power. They do that because that is what the Westminster system system is optimized to do. The executive presidency targeted through a racially identified group and the state is the prize they fight for.

 

Add to that the one constituency electorate and closed party lists and you have no accountability. The President becomes the dictator and all are at his beck and call.

 

We need to scrap this constitution and replace one with direct representation of localities by people of their choosing. We need to devolve power by some means be it non territorial federalism or some similar structure to take government out of the hands of a few and into the hands of the many who can be replaced easily.

 

This does not seem to be in the cards presently. No one on the ground there care to or have the vision to see their predicament as perilous and headed toward eventual violence. That is not on account of who we are but on account of what humans do when placed in circumstances as ours and we have dozens of examples to temper out compulsion to autocratic power.

 

Unfortunately, society or science is not changed easily. In politics, politicians rarely get an epiphany. No a cathartic moment will come to us because we have some visionary and charismatic leader to take us to a promise land. We only have the AFC.

 

They can make sure the clause preventing coalitions after the fact to be removed before any new election. Hopefully, we can compete for politics adversarially in parliament and not in the streets.

 

 

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Originally Posted by Conscience:

During Greenidge tenure as Minister of Finance, there were no auditor General Reports, the Guyanese populace still reminders the "barge fiasco"

 Who gives a shit about two decades past thievery? We experienced it and endured it and the PPP failed to bring the perps to justice.

 

It cannot be used to excuse present kleptocratic practices by the present  ruling party. They bloody well have to account for their sins not distract and obfuscate with pointing to previous sins.

 

We are in the here and now and the are the presiding administration acting like mob bosses and turning our state into a criminal enterprise where we are the victims.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Originally Posted by Conscience:

If one forgets about the pass, they would be condemned to repeat it.

it is in the remembering that one cannot let the present crooks get a free pass on their attempts at a do over on thrift and corruption. One does not remember the past to stay quite about the present and not ask for a different future. The present PPP is a continuum of the past PNC.

 

FM
Originally Posted by Conscience:

Democracy and free and fair elections were returned in 1992 by the PPP/C

bullshit. The PPP were for all intents and purpose crippled or lame for the entire PNC period. So beat down they were the hoped on some claim of critical support they can maintain in good standing with international socialism.

 

It was the guyanese people themselves that restored democracy. If anything the PPP are the benefactors to the struggle by many who soldiered on in spite of them.

 

Since their return they did nothing to strengthen democracy. We have a totalitarian constitution and they forgot that local elections are the cradle of democracy. No the PPP are anti democracy and pro autocracy.

FM
Originally Posted by Stormborn:
Originally Posted by Conscience:

If one forgets about the pass, they would be condemned to repeat it.

it is in the remembering that one cannot let the present crooks get a free pass on their attempts at a do over on thrift and corruption. One does not remember the past to stay quite about the present and not ask for a different future. The present PPP is a continuum of the past PNC.

 

Big gold star for this.

 

Oi unconscious, you gettin beat up here bad bad by Storm.

Banna, if Iman were you (thank de Laaaawd I aint you) I woulda pick up my gloves an hat, (leave the ball you might get beat up if you try an take it now) then I'd head for my area of the gutter an tek a long rest.

cain
Originally Posted by warrior:

let the ppp government lead by example.if they come clean and produce the books then they can make the pnc produce the book.the guyanese people deserve this

Banna, you also get a gold star for this one, I kinda like it.

Notice, nothing coming from the PPP regarding presenting some books.

cain

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×