Minister Singh exposes APNU/AFC’s hypocrisy
-says statesman-like image a farce
Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Hon. Dr. Ashni Singh today exposed the hypocrisy of the Opposition in his presentation in the National Assembly.
Wrapping up the 2021 Budget debates, the Minister said the actions of the Opposition in and out of the Assembly are in stark contrast to the image of statesmanship the Opposition Leader attempted to create in his presentation.
Dr. Singh said the Leader of the Opposition’s attempt to portray willingness to work for the development of Guyana is nothing but an insult to the intelligence of the Guyanese people.
The Minister said when an invitation was extended by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali to former President Mr. David Granger for talks on national development it was rejected. The Minister further added when President Ali attended the Parliament to deliver his inaugural address, the APNU/AFC was absent and engaged in ruckus and vulgar behaviour outside the Parliament.
“It is very easy to stand and say all sorts of things to try to convey an impression of what you are but the reality sir, indicates a very different proof. But you know sir, what it discloses in fact is that the APNU/AFC has no respect for the intelligence of the Guyanese people.
They believe, and some of them said it, the Honourable Member Mr. Ramjattan spoke about somebody speaking to the gullible supporters. The Guyanese people are not gullible sir. We do not believe that any Guyanese person is gullible. The Guyanese people are in fact far more sophisticated and far mor intelligent than you might believe,” he said.
Minister Singh also pointed out that the Opposition Leader tried to downplay the attempt by the APNU/AFC to stall democracy in 2020. The Minister reminded the Opposition Leader that the world watched and documented the events that took place.
“The Honourable Leader of the Opposition would have us believe that we all imagined when the Carter Center was told you cannot come back to Guyana… Do we remember that the CARICOM Observers were brought in by a special flight and were waiting to observe the recount as were representatives from all the parties only to be told the Convention Centre had suddenly to be fumigated? Did we imagine that? Did the people of Guyana imagine that?
I say to the Opposition Leader, it is okay to come and adopt this nice magnanimous statesman-like tone, but stop insulting the intelligence of the Guyanese people. They did not imagine all of those things. The fact of the matter is that the APNU/AFC were involved in an elaborate scheme to subvert democracy in 2020,” the Finance Minister said.
However, Dr. Singh said the Opposition’s scheme to undermine democracy started long before the elections. He said three lists of 18 persons to fill the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission were rejected only to have former President Granger unilaterally appoint a Chairman, violating the Constitution. The decision, he recalled, was overturned by the Caribbean Court of Justice.
“A lot of people did not really understand the significance of that move. They did not understand, but the pieces were being put in place,” Dr. Singh said.
Tomorrow March 2, will mark one year since the 2020 General and Regional Elections were held. However, it was not until August 2, 2020 that the duly elected PPP/C administration were declared winners of the elections and President Ali sworn in as Head of State.