Taxpayers money not used to fund lobby firm – DG Harmon

─firm hired to set record straight on false accusations
─dossier was previously shared with Heads of CARICOM

 DPI, Guyana, Thursday, April 16, 2020

Director-General of the Ministry of The Presidency, Joseph Harmon has asserted that the Coalition’s hiring of a US-based firm was done with campaign contributions and not monies from the government’s coffers.

“This is not funding from the government. We have supporters around the world who are very incensed, who are upset that this kind of narrative continues to be perpetuated daily and have come forward to say, ‘what can we do to help”, DG Harmon clarified.

The narrative the Director-General referenced is a series of false accusations levied against the APNU-AFC Coalition during the March 2 General and Regional Elections process that is being propelled by the Opposition, PPP.

DG Harmon explained that in the interest of the Coalition, the campaign funded US-based firm was hired to set the record straight on the false accusations and to protect the image of the work done by the Coalition while in government.

“We believe as a government, it was our duty, our responsibility to ensure that our narrative, the facts as they occurred, should be placed there [on the international stage]. We felt it was necessary to have a company that has that access to be able to put out our side,” he noted.

Further, the Director-General stated the dossier that is circulating on social media is no secret since it was shared with CARICOM leaders during a visit to Guyana.

“We had shared that dossier to the heads of CARICOM while they were here. The Prime Ministers of CARICOM (countries) were given copies of that dossier. It was circulated to other places, but it is now getting traction because of where it is coming from,” said DG Harmon.

“I believe that as a country, as a government, we have a right to ensure that the developments which have taken place in this country, that they ought not to be derailed by a narrative which goes out there- that is contrary to the facts of what is happening here in Guyana,” the Director-General continued.

These comments from DG Harmon were provided during a press briefing at the Civil Defence Commission after the DG took a tour to get a firsthand view of the COVID-19 relief efforts.