“Be a man, publish the information,”-Rohee challenges Harmon on PPP wrongdoings

Last Updated on Monday, 29 June 2015, 18:04 by GxMedia

by Zena Henry

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Clement Rohee has issued a direct challenge to Minister of State Joseph Harmon that he should, “be a man” and expose any information he has to support government’s claims of PPP wrongdoings while in government.

The General Secretary was livid during the party’s press briefing Monday June 29, where he addressed the issue of the ongoing audits of government agencies and dared the government to make public any information purporting wrongdoings by the former government.

“We are not going to give up pressing for this information because we are not going to allow Harmon or anyone from the APNU+AFC to go out there and make statements about what the PPP is alleged to have done and what the PPP is allegedly doing, and when we ask them to publish the information… be a man, be a man and publish the information which you claim you have,” he advised Harmon.

As the new A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government digs into the State’s systems and how the PPP was running it while in office, the David Granger-led administration has made several claims of wrongdoings by the then government.

Recent issues were that more than 20 state vehicles were unaccounted for and that former PPP ministers and associates were still receiving free gas from the state-owned Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) company.

Receipts showed that former Minister of Public Service Jennifer Westford was alleged to have been directly involved in trying to transfer eight state vehicles to herself and associates, and Harmon at a Cabinet briefing said that she helped to return them. In relation to the fuel, Harmon said at another press briefing that he had in his possession information where government personnel in the previous administration were abusing the privilege in acquiring free fuel. GuyOil has since been asked to present accounts and statements of “those persons that were drawing fuel and not paying for it.”

Rohee said to that “Publish the names of the persons who are suppose to be in possession on these (state) vehicles… the registration number of these vehicles. Publish all the details in respect to these vehicles; publish the details in respect to whose family is collecting gasoline.”

Rohee said that, “We have asked for that information to be published… Harmon turns and refers to Westford and asks the rhetorical question, ‘what is Rohee going to do?’; Well if that is the answer to the information requested by the PPP then obviously answers will have to be sought elsewhere.”

The PPP has accused the government of going on a witch hunt since taking up office since they want to substantiate campaign claims of “righting PPP wrongdoings.” The party has slammed the government, insinuating that claims of wide spread forensic audit of state agencies and the stand of not backing down based on witch hunting claims are offensive to the thousands who did not vote for the new government.