Was the AFC list…a false copy?
November 5, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under Letters
Dear Editor,
Nomination day is now gone, and we now know that four Political parties will be contesting the national and regional elections on November 28, 2011. These are: The ruling People’s Progressive Party / Civic – PPP/C; A Partnership for National Unity -APNU; the Alliance For Change – AFC; and The United Force – TUF.
Of these, I am yet to see a list of the candidates submitted by APNU and TUF. However, I wish to bring to the attention of your readers, a deliberate attempt by the AFC to deceive the people of Guyana, and in so doing… the electorate.
About a month ago, I had a candid discussion with a now senior member of the AFC, in which I expressed my concern that the AFC does not appear to have sufficient members of a high caliber to form a government should they win the election. He assured me that the AFC would be reaching out to the Diaspora to tap into the talents and expertise of Guyanese living abroad.
My question to him was simply this, “How can the AFC be sure that a person living in New York or Canada, or anywhere else, would be willing to uproot his family, quit his job, take his kids out of school and away from their friends, and sell his house to remigrate back to Guyana?” My AFC friend agreed that this would be a difficult decision for anyone to make, but he thought then it was worth the try.
The composition of the AFC’s list of candidates submitted to GECOM, includes a number of Guyanese who have not resided in Guyana for decades. They have recently returned and registered to vote, in order to circumvent the system to ‘qualify’ for the list.
Dr. Shamir Ally – a Professor, came to Guyana in 2011 to get himself registered. He would have had to have convinced someone into believing that he is a permanent resident in order to get a National ID Card.
Dr. Tarron Khemraj – A well known professor of economics who lives in Florida, visits Guyana periodically, yet he is on the AFC list of candidates.
Malcolm Cho-Kee is a known PNCR activist who switched over to the AFC, and resides permanently in Canada.
Kaseem Baksh, another AFC candidate, lives in England.
Dr. Rohan Somar is a known physician in the New York/New Jersey areas, and has never lived in Guyana since he was a child. He is a major fund raiser for the AFC in New York and he too, is on the AFC’s list.
Dr. Richard Van West Charles, a former top PNCR supporter and executive member, is the only one I feel confident about, although he too, has one foot in Guyana, and the other foot in Canada.
Therefore it would appear that the AFC enticed these individuals to return to Guyana shortly before the nomination period, and somehow they were able to secure National IDs to mislead GECOM into believing that they are all permanently living in Guyana.
Have any of these filed taxes with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA)? I doubt it, but that would certainly vindicate them if I’m wrong. Records from the immigration department can easily determine when these persons arrived in Guyana, and records from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and Finance, will determine whether these AFC candidates have applied for, and were given concessions as remigrants.
The absence of any application for remigrant status by these individuals, should be cause for concern by those political parties contesting the elections, and by GECOM, as it would confirm my suspicion that these overseas-based Guyanese would only consider returning home to live if, and only if, the AFC wins the General Election.
I cannot imagine any of these individuals leaving their lucrative jobs and lifestyles overseas, to settle for an Opposition Parliamentarian salary, after they have lost the election.
The constitution allows for technocrats to be ministers of the government. So there is no need for the Alliance For Change to deceive the voters by padding the list with folks that do not live in Guyana, and have no real interest in the well-being of the Guyanese people.
Like APNU, the AFC is struggling to overcome their internal problems, and they are determined to disguise that image in order to win support and votes. But I call on Khemraj Ramjattan and Raphael Trotman of the AFC to come clean with the Guyanese people. Let us know if the persons I’ve mentioned above from the Diaspora have all relocated to Guyana permanently, and whether they will remain in Guyana after the AFC has lost the upcoming election. I also call on GECOM to determine the authenticity of all the candidates’ immigration status, for it appears that the list submitted by AFC, may very well be… a false copy.
Harry Gill
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....c-list-a-false-copy/
November 5, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under Letters
Dear Editor,
Nomination day is now gone, and we now know that four Political parties will be contesting the national and regional elections on November 28, 2011. These are: The ruling People’s Progressive Party / Civic – PPP/C; A Partnership for National Unity -APNU; the Alliance For Change – AFC; and The United Force – TUF.
Of these, I am yet to see a list of the candidates submitted by APNU and TUF. However, I wish to bring to the attention of your readers, a deliberate attempt by the AFC to deceive the people of Guyana, and in so doing… the electorate.
About a month ago, I had a candid discussion with a now senior member of the AFC, in which I expressed my concern that the AFC does not appear to have sufficient members of a high caliber to form a government should they win the election. He assured me that the AFC would be reaching out to the Diaspora to tap into the talents and expertise of Guyanese living abroad.
My question to him was simply this, “How can the AFC be sure that a person living in New York or Canada, or anywhere else, would be willing to uproot his family, quit his job, take his kids out of school and away from their friends, and sell his house to remigrate back to Guyana?” My AFC friend agreed that this would be a difficult decision for anyone to make, but he thought then it was worth the try.
The composition of the AFC’s list of candidates submitted to GECOM, includes a number of Guyanese who have not resided in Guyana for decades. They have recently returned and registered to vote, in order to circumvent the system to ‘qualify’ for the list.
Dr. Shamir Ally – a Professor, came to Guyana in 2011 to get himself registered. He would have had to have convinced someone into believing that he is a permanent resident in order to get a National ID Card.
Dr. Tarron Khemraj – A well known professor of economics who lives in Florida, visits Guyana periodically, yet he is on the AFC list of candidates.
Malcolm Cho-Kee is a known PNCR activist who switched over to the AFC, and resides permanently in Canada.
Kaseem Baksh, another AFC candidate, lives in England.
Dr. Rohan Somar is a known physician in the New York/New Jersey areas, and has never lived in Guyana since he was a child. He is a major fund raiser for the AFC in New York and he too, is on the AFC’s list.
Dr. Richard Van West Charles, a former top PNCR supporter and executive member, is the only one I feel confident about, although he too, has one foot in Guyana, and the other foot in Canada.
Therefore it would appear that the AFC enticed these individuals to return to Guyana shortly before the nomination period, and somehow they were able to secure National IDs to mislead GECOM into believing that they are all permanently living in Guyana.
Have any of these filed taxes with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA)? I doubt it, but that would certainly vindicate them if I’m wrong. Records from the immigration department can easily determine when these persons arrived in Guyana, and records from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and Finance, will determine whether these AFC candidates have applied for, and were given concessions as remigrants.
The absence of any application for remigrant status by these individuals, should be cause for concern by those political parties contesting the elections, and by GECOM, as it would confirm my suspicion that these overseas-based Guyanese would only consider returning home to live if, and only if, the AFC wins the General Election.
I cannot imagine any of these individuals leaving their lucrative jobs and lifestyles overseas, to settle for an Opposition Parliamentarian salary, after they have lost the election.
The constitution allows for technocrats to be ministers of the government. So there is no need for the Alliance For Change to deceive the voters by padding the list with folks that do not live in Guyana, and have no real interest in the well-being of the Guyanese people.
Like APNU, the AFC is struggling to overcome their internal problems, and they are determined to disguise that image in order to win support and votes. But I call on Khemraj Ramjattan and Raphael Trotman of the AFC to come clean with the Guyanese people. Let us know if the persons I’ve mentioned above from the Diaspora have all relocated to Guyana permanently, and whether they will remain in Guyana after the AFC has lost the upcoming election. I also call on GECOM to determine the authenticity of all the candidates’ immigration status, for it appears that the list submitted by AFC, may very well be… a false copy.
Harry Gill
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....c-list-a-false-copy/
Guyana can only develop with a good supply of skilled and talented workers and entrepreneurs. The AFC will: