Jagdeo knows why APNU+AFC abandoned its political base

VICE PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo chastened the A Partnership for National Unity, Alliance
For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition accusing the now parliamentary opposition of abandoning
its political base after winning the May 2015 polls.
“Harmon and others did nothing for ordinary Afro Guyanese,” was Jagdeo’s terse assessment of
the APNU+AFC five-year stewardship.
On the other hand though, opportunities for advancement were reserved for Harmon and his
friends, Jagdeo told a press conference he hosted recently at the Arthur Chung Convention
Centre at Liliendaal, on the East Coast Demerara corridor.
“What did Harmon do for afro-Guyanese? Look at some of his friends who got all of the big
contracts,” the Vice President of the ruling Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) coalition
queried rhetorically.
Jagdeo singled out Upper Demerara/Berbice (Region Ten) to justify his accusations of the party
boasting his fiercest political rivals and most strident critics.
The APNU+AFC won Region Ten by a landslide in 2015, and it is public knowledge that Jagdeo
and the PPP/C want to break down the historical walls there and build a roadway into residents
hearts in that citadel of opposition support.
Region Ten is a predominantly afro-Guyanese community with approximately 40,000 residents
scattered throughout the 17,040 km 2  (6,580 ml 2 ) mineral-rich area boasting some 30 discreet
wards housing the bauxite-mining town, Linden, as its capital.
Jagdeo branded the former administration a kleptocracy, a perennial charge levelled against
successive PPP administrations from 1992 to 2015 when they ruled. For Jagdeo, Joe Harmon
was in the vanguard followed closely and meekly by several like-minded, self-serving
APNU+AFC appointees who arrogantly snubbed their supporters.

“It’s the loss of the windfall from the government that makes them so angry. That is why they
are so bitter and you see the bitterness in their social media posts. They are not doing this
because they care about ordinary people in Linden or ordinary afro-Guyanese. They were there
(in the seat of government) what did they do? They took the monies for themselves,” Jagdeo said
in his accusations.
Then he named other individuals whom he yoked with Harmon.
“[Y]ou had (MP Ganesh) Mahipaul who had been collecting monies from about three or four
agencies. Sherod Duncan (another MP) who took some money from Chronicle, yet had a cushy
job with (former Public Security Minister, Kemraj) Ramjattan earning nearly a million dollars a
month for doing nothing. So, why you think they are so aggressive and bitter on social media?”
Jagdeo asked rhetorically.
www.aroundtheregions.com reached out to the two rookie legislators, and both strongly refuted
Mr. Jagdeo’s assertions.
For MP Duncan, the VP’s statements are comical since his salary at Chronicle was some 50
percent less than what the PPP-appointed person received before the change of government.
“I can say with all certainty that I never received such a salary. My salary was a little over
$200,000.00 working at the then Ministry of National Securityand the records can prove it and
Mr. Jagdeo knows that my job with Minister Ramjattan was not no ‘big job’, so these are all
lies,” Duncan declared.
MP Mahipaul too denied receiving a salary while deputising for acting General Manager, Ms.
Dinna Todd, who at the time was on administrative leave to facilitate an investigation at the
company. While performing Todd’s duties, Mahipaul continued functioning as a member of the
Board of Directors of the newspaper.
“I was earning $15,000.00 a month as a Board member at the Chronicle and a small stipend for
managing the day-to-day operations as General Manager. I was not being paid as the General
Manager as I was merely holding the fort while the Board (searched for a replacement). My main

job was Community Development Officer (CDO) for Region Three (Essequibo Islands – West
Demerara) and I also sat on the Board of the Vocational College there. So at no time was I
receiving more than one salary and there isn’t anything wrong for public servants to be sitting on
Government Boards as the relevant permissions were granted and I accepted to serve as a Board
member,” Mahipaul countered.