Ahead of what it suspects will be damning report on its handling of the oil sector, the Government has gone on the defensive, with Foreign Secretary Carl Greenidge slamming the UK-based Global Witness as a pack of jokers; he said the report presents a “risk” and “major challenge” for the Coalition days before general and regional elections.
“There are many things that are the horizon where people are attempting to play dirty tricks,” Greenidge told thousands of supporters at the Esplanade Park, New Amsterdam, Berbice.
“We will see a major challenge in the next few days just before the elections…some set of Guyanese have sought to bring an NGO, a very controversial NGO; they have sought to bring that NGO here to present a report – which report will claim that this government has been managing its business improperly, corruptly, inefficiently and billions of dollars have been lost to the poor,” Greenidge stated.
“Now that oil has been discovered, this NGO has suddenly got a feeling for the poor…
“You have to decide whether you are going to be fooled a couple of days before the elections by some set of jokers…,” Greenidge told the crowd in a passionate defence of the government.
“Today I am drawing your attention to the risks that we are acing, and I am urging you to be alert,” Greenidge stated.
Global Witness, set up in 1993, describes itself as pioneers in seeing the link between natural resources, conflict and corruption.
“Since our very first campaign to shut down the Khmer Rouge’s illegal logging industry we’ve uncovered the truth about blood diamonds and helped bring trillions of oil, gas and mining revenues into the open,” the NGO states on its website.
“We want a better world – where corruption is challenged and accountability prevails, all can thrive within the planet’s boundaries, and governments act in the public interest,” it states.
The organisation has issued an alert about the release of its report shortly, but the government and the government has decided to take first aim at denying the contents of the report.
“Do not get diverted by false news,” Greenidge stated, saying there are “people” who are trying to undermine confidence in Coalition.
He claimed that there is an ongoing attack on the government in connection with the way it has managed the country’s oil resource that “the government has somehow engaged in arrangements that are improper, arrangements that will not bring the maximum benefit to Guyana.”
“Well, let me tell you something – the government has gone to great efforts to ensure that the work carried out by its ministers are proper and that the ministers themselves are fit and proper ministers,” he stated.
He added: “And the claim that we have not been transparent is false.
“And more importantly the idea that members of that team that governs, that works out of the Cabinet, for example, are improper in their management of government business should be rejected.”
“We are not a thiefing Government!” he declared.
