“Show me the evidence” on corruption by PPPC govt- Clinton Urling

Last Updated on Wednesday, 8 April 2015, 3:14 by GxMedia

Newly minted People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) candidate for next month’s general and regional elections, Clinton Urling on Tuesday brushed off questions about why he opted to endorse the incumbent party whose government has been tainted by allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

“If you have the evidence and you show me the evidence, maybe I may be persuaded to look at it it but that’s all based on perceptions. If there is direct evidence of corruption, then I think they would have been prosecuted,” he said when asked by Demerara Waves Online News.

Urling was one of several supporters inside City Hall for the presentation of the PPPC’s List of Candidates to the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield.

Meanwhile, President Donald Ramotar told reporters shortly after presenting the “winning list” that his party in government has been always fighting corruption by setting up a bidding system and allowing the Auditor General to allow scrutiny of government’s accounts.

“What we are doing is a continuation of what we started so long ago…I dont know how big it would be but we are ready to deal with it because we have nothing to hide, we are ready to take any measures necessary to stamp out corruption in our country,” he said.

On the issues of mismanaged projects like the botched laying of a fibre optic cable from Lethem through the jungle to Linden and the construction of a road to the site for the Amaila Falls Hydropower project, the city businessman opted to ignore the past. “This is the party for the future. I prefer to look forward and let’s look forward to building Guyana from today. My involvement begins now and let’s look forward to the future,” said the Founder-Chairman of the non-governmental civil society organisation, Blue CAPS.

Urling said he was offering to the PPPC commitment and service to Guyana and that the only return he was getting was “gratification of contributing towards my country’s development.”

He stressed that he was persuaded by the PPPC having more youths on its list of candidates unlike other contesting parties. “Their list has more young people. They have had an experience of using young people in leadership position more than just rhetoric but actually doing so and I think going forward you will see more younger persons on the leadership of the PPP and also I believe the PPP has more young people to run the economic affairs of Guyana,” said Urling.

Urling said he has not been offered any position in a new PPPC administration should that party clinch victory again.

Blue CAPS has since issued a statement, saying that its political neutrality remains intact.