Gov’t will not tolerate reckless vilification of public office holders

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has sternly advised that the government will not tolerate the rash castigation of individuals in public office for the purpose of gaining cheap political points.

The GS was at the time addressing the accusations hurled at several public figures, despite there being little to no evidence to support these claims, and their resulting derogatory effect.

Dr Jagdeo also specifically addressed the former Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Sherwyn Greaves’ resignation for what he termed ‘personal reasons’. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Greaves said the decision stemmed from various social media posts directed at him.

These posts raise concerns about a property Greaves allegedly acquired in New York, hinting at potential violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

During his weekly press conference at Freedom House on Robb Street, the general secretary reminded reporters of the government’s zero-tolerance policy for unscrupulousness in public office.  

“Sherwyn Greaves will have to give credible answers for the acquisition of any of his properties. If he broke the law, he must face the consequences. That is our position,” he said.

He said that following the allegations, the government engaged Greaves and was assured that all of his transactions have been legal and above board.

“He offered to resign because he said he can’t handle this vilification anymore. He is a different person,” Dr Jagdeo disclosed, further recognising Greaves’ significant contributions to the government’s goal of allocating 50,000 house lots.

“He has helped thousands of people. But they want to run him down because they perceive him close to the PPP,” the GS added.

He said that government will not “witch-hunt” people on the basis of conjecture, contrasting this with the situation involving Former Assistant Police Commissioner, Calvin Brutus.

“In Brutus’ case, I had a great lot of details…it was egregious. We saw hundreds of transactions, and we were convinced that it warranted that sort of investigation. But we are not going to run down people based on social media posts, especially from people who are crooked,” he asserted.

Dr Jagdeo said this demonstrates a pattern with the PNC/APNU/AFC operatives, where individuals perceived to be closely affiliated with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government are subjected to vile attempts to publicly malign them.

“They did it in 2015 and through innuendos and lies, they gave the impression that there was corruption under the PPP. We have robust systems in place to safeguard the wealth of the people of this country,” he emphasised.

Dr Jagdeo said that this public vilification is not reasonable cause for an investigation into Greaves, and he chastised opposition characters for publicly attacking these public figures in such an impulsive manner.  

“The same tax evaders and these crooks…they’re so slimy, have been running him down for weeks and then express surprise when he resigns,” the GS said.