Conundrums and conflicts

By Mohabir Anil Nandlall Part 1

From its conception and by its name, the Alliance For Change (AFC) professes to be the political movement to catalyse change in Guyana’s political landscape. A common thread which runs throughout almost all of its public pronouncements, is that it advocates for a high standard of political morality. “Transparent government”, “accountability in public office” and high decorum from public officials have all been ideals espoused by this party.
Indeed, these are ideals for which all political parties ought to protagonise. But none has done it as empathic as the AFC. Equally, none has failed more abysmally to practice what it preaches than the AFC. In this article, I will chronicle just a few examples to support my hypothesis.
Nagamootoo and NICIL
From the inception, the AFC has been critical of National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), accusing it of innumerable financial irregularities, lack of transparency and accountability in its operations, and much more.
In the elections campaign of 2011, NICIL had been a focus of theirs with all the leaders, including, Moses Nagamootoo, castigating and denigrating the work and functions of NICIL. After the elections, and in Parliament, they continued to be critical of NICIL in their presentations.
In the press, the onslaught persisted. Not once, however, was it disclosed to the unsuspecting public that Nagamootoo, the vice chairman of the AFC and one of its Members of Parliament, was a lawyer, retained by NICIL and actually received almost seven million dollars in legal fees from this very organisation, which they describe as so corrupt. It was only after I disclosed this information in a debate in the Parliament did it become public. To date, no member of the AFC has denounced this patent conflict of interest and political hypocrisy.
Pension and prevarications
The pension and other facilities to which former President Bharrat Jagdeo is entitled by law, has evoked tremendous controversy.
The fact that this law was simply a codification of the benefits which all former presidents enjoyed, was simply ignored. The issue was propagandised to its fullest.
The most prolific crusader against it was Nagamootoo.
He spoke in length about it during the elections campaign, at public meetings, rallies, in the newspapers and on television. To quote him, “It rattled my soul”. Not once did he disclose that when that very law was passed in the Parliament, he voted in support of it. In fact, from all his utterances, he deliberately conveyed the impression that he voted against it. It was only after I produced the Hansard during one of my presentations in Parliament, and revealed that he voted in support of it was that information made public. Indeed, seconds before I read from the Hansard, which obviously he didn’t realise I was about to do, his bold assertion was “I never voted for it”. Again the AFC has offered no apology to the public for this blatant prevarication.
Meridian and Marriott
The disclosure that a Marriott Hotel will be built in Guyana was made early in 2011. Indeed, a few months prior to November 2011 elections, there was a public sod turning event at the proposed site, which was published in all the newspapers and aired on television. No public criticism came from the AFC. As the elections were approaching, Robert Badal, the owner of the Pegasus Hotel, made public his association with the AFC. I have no doubt that this association came with great financial benefits.
It is not rocket science for anyone to quickly realise that a Marriott Hotel, in close proximity to the Pegasus Hotel, would pose significant competition in that realm of the hotel industry in which the Pegasus Hotel enjoys an almost absolute monopoly.
Almost immediately after Badal’s association with the AFC was consummated, the party launched a sustained and vitriolic campaign against every aspect of the Marriott Hotel project, casting every conceivable reason as a basis for it to not materialise.
But again, not for one moment during this sustained attack, did the AFC disclose or even concede that the party has a close and politically consanguine relationship with the Pegasus Hotel.