Final proof that GTT money was not paid to PPP/C government

Dear Editor, In the Stabroek News of March 16, it was reported that representatives of the Chinese company, Hong Kong Golden Telecom Limited (HDGT), were in Guyana and recently put forward a proposal for payment of the outstanding US$5 million for the sale of the 20% shares of GTT owned by government.

This has now finally proven beyond doubt that the APNU+AFC regime was deliberately fooling the Guyanese people when they asserted that that money was paid to Guyana before the 2015 general elections. In March last year, Minister Trotman sensationally claimed that they had evidence the money was paid to the PPP/Civic government. He confidently said Minister Harmon had obtained documents to that effect on his infamous trip to China.

Even though that statement was categorically denied by author of this letter, and a challenge was put out to produce the documents, no less a person than the President confidently repeated this fabrication. In May 2016, on one edition of his carefully orchestrated programme, the ‘Public Interest’, answering a question on the whereabouts of the US$5 million he said: “You have to ask Mr Ramotar where the money is.” He further said; “I don’t know where it is. I would like to find out but the money went missing under the previous administration and it is certainly missing and that is what Mr Harmon’s mission was all about. We are trying to find out ourselves”.

Now that the matter has been cleared, I wish to point out that this has been the modus operandi of the APNU+AFC in and out of government. They were certainly successful in fooling a lot of people.

If they have any decency left, the minimum they should do is to apologize to the PPP/C officials, and the Guyanese people at large, for deliberately misleading them to believe that the money was misappropriated. Yours faithfully, Donald Ramotar Former President