PPP will review all gov’t contracts signed after no-confidence passage

Last Updated on Thursday, 17 January 2019, 19:56 by Writer

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday warned that all contracts inked by government after December 21, 2018 – the date when the no-confidence motion was passed – would be reviewed if the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) wins the next general elections.

Jagdeo contended that the David Granger administration is now in a caretaker mode and even the recent passage of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill would be repealed and a new legislation tabled and passed by the 65-member House.

“Right now, we believe that they are in breach of our Constitution and that is why we will review what they have done in the three months’ period and that’s why I’m saying to public servants: be cautious, do not backdate stuff, do not shortcut the procurement laws etc; do not approve illegality or be a party to illegalities,” he told a news conference.

Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire has promised to issue decisions in three related matters concerning the validity of the no-confidence vote.

Jagdeo appealed to government employees to not leak any bureaucratic misdeeds to the media. “This is a lame-duck caretaker government,” he said, adding that the government and its media have become a campaign machinery.

Jagdeo did not rule out holding another round of talks with President Granger if the elections are delayed due to the Guyana Elections Commission not being ready for early elections and if the government loses its court cases on the validity of the no-confidence vote 33 to 32 as a result of support by former government parliamentarian, Canadian-Guyanese, Charrandas Persaud. “Maybe at that time we’ll talk about extension and the circumstances because they don’t want…under which any extension will be given,” he said.

The Opposition Leader, who is also the PPP General Secretary, disclosed that the PPP has written to about 30 organisations including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Commonwealth of Nations about the political situation in Guyana. “We did not seek a response. We did not say ‘issue a statement etc. we did not. We said ‘here is what: we want to keep you apprised of some developments in Guyana that could harm our democracy’,” he said.  He added that he has also spoken with the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia Scotland.