Presidential Candidate for the Alliance for Change Khemraj Ramjattan is emphasizing that persons should not be distracted by or fall into what he calls “the trap set by President Bharrat Jagdeo as he campaigns for the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic” in the process spewing venomous attacks on groupings, individuals and the media among others.
Ramjattan asserts that the Head of State’s utterances and behaviour could provoke election violence which would consequently force him to declare a state of emergency.
With this in place, Ramjattan opines that the president could use his executive power to extend his stay in office.
Ramjattan continued “another aspect of his ploy is to cause the hullabaloo that will be created as a result of his vile utterances to distract the electorate and right-thinking persons from the corrupt transactions that have been taking place and that were being exposed”.
“He is a big hypocrite. His behaviour is a shame and disgrace.”
The AFC Presidential Candidate said that Jagdeo’s behaviour on the political platform is vindicating talk that he was never fit to be a President.
“He is no Statesman and all that have conferred awards on him such as Champion of the Earth or Honorary Doctorate…when they come to realize what he is saying on the platform they should rescind and revoke the awards!” Ramjattan stated emphatically.
He cautioned that the President is “treading on a very dangerous line”.
“I believe that he wants to create a situation which would ensure that he could extend his term…he wants people to react and react irrationally so that the emergency scenario could come into being and he could delay the election further.
He really also wants to do mud-slinging on everybody in opposition to him…that is what he has been doing over the years…his actions are very deliberate. This is another element of what he is doing so as to create a distraction from the rampant corruption that continues unhindered.”
“The President wants a smokescreen to mask deals such as the one with Sithe Global and the ones with the sugar industry. He is creating the distractions so that all could jump on him and, one wash of contracts would go though…he wants us to shift our gaze away from these things…He wants to shift the focus from Donald Ramotar.”
President Jagdeo has over the past few weeks attacked various entities and attracted a plethora of criticism for his statements pertaining to sections of the private media, calling the operatives ‘Carrion Crows and Vultures’.
During the PPP/Cs most recent rally in Lusignan, Jagdeo launched an attack on one of the AFC’s Executive Members, prominent Attorney-at Law Nigel Hughes.
Jagdeo stopped just short of implicating the lawyer in the 2003 murder of Buxtonian Brian Hamilton but did say that he suspects the attorney was present at the time of the killing.
The 35-year-old father of one was shot and killed by one or more gunmen as he sat in the office of his Buxton Public Road gas station.
Jagdeo did not seek to disguise his attack on Hughes, vowing that under his Presidency, Hughes would never be appointed a Senior Counsel.
Hughes in response to the vitriolic outburst stated that, “It is regrettable that the highest office in the Republic is now being abused and degraded by the wild imaginings of a delusional President.”
Contacted by this publication, Hughes described Jagdeo’s attack as a most disturbing, vile and scandalous attack – particularly the president’s accusing him of being somehow involved in the demise of Brian Hamilton on March 21, 2003.
According to Hughes, “Brian Hamilton was a member of our family and it was my sincere hope that the horrific circumstances surrounding his death would have been left behind so that his widow and daughter would not have to relive the awful manner of his death…The recent utterances of his Excellency cannot be left unanswered.”
Hughes explained that he was nowhere near to the location where the murder occurred as well as the fact that the surveillance tape the president mentioned was handed over to the Police, thereby debunking the Jagdeo’s assertion.
President Bharrat Jagdeo
Speaking to his clientele, Hughes said “The categorization or classification of my clients has not been a concern of mine as I am not retained as a priest but an Attorney-at-Law.”
Hughes added “the fact that the current administration found it impossible to identify a single person of African descent qualified to represent this country of ours at the level of Ambassador at any international posting is probably the most salient statement on the practice of racism in politics in contemporary Guyana”.
Hughes stressed that he does not require the president to validate his work as an Attorney-at-law. “It will speak for itself.”
Article By KNews – www.kaieteurnewsonline.com
