The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Thursday accused the government of using state resources to campaign ahead of this week’s local government polls.
“We understand that the president and a huge entourage of ministers are scheduled to travel to Lethem. This is going to cost a huge amount of money as well, millions of dollars in air fares. We are taking note of this because we consider this abuse and abuse of state resources,” PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee said at a news conference.
“We want to call on the foreign missions that are observing these elections to take note of this blatant abuse of state resources by the APNU+AFC to campaign at certain locations…Bartica, Lethem, Mabaruma and Anna Regina,” he added.
“We have no idea what the PPP is talking about,” Ministry of the Presidency spokesman Mark Archer said on Friday.
However, when the background for the question posed was given, he did not reply.
On Wednesday last week, President David Granger and a ministerial delegation, including Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Raphael Trotman, Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr. Karen Cummings and Minister within the Ministry of Communities Dawn Hastings-Williams, met with residents at Mabaruma.
On Thursday, President Granger and another ministerial delegation met with members of the public at Rose Hall, while a meeting was planned for Friday at Anna Regina, Region Two and another for yesterday at Lethem, Region Nine.
The former PPP/C administration had long been accused of abusing state resources, including the state-run media, to bolster its electoral chances through the holding of outreaches ahead of previous general elections. Such outreaches had been condemned by the then opposition, APNU and the AFC and also highlighted by electoral observer missions.
‘It doesn’t matter’
Meanwhile, Rohee on Thursday maintained that the PPP/C never abused state resources while in government.
“Never,” Rohee responded, when asked if his party ever used state resources for its own benefits.
“We raised funds through fund-raising exercises. We raised funds through fund-raising exercises and we used that money to conduct our campaign,” he further said.
Rohee said he was perturbed by the local media corps posing questions to his party based on its record during its 23 years in office. “This is a constant matter that I have to experience at these press conferences, that people ask, ‘Why? Why didn’t we do this when we were in government?’ And this is the same thing the people in the parliament are asking, ‘You had 23 years, why didn’t you do it.’ The journalists are picking up that same chant and repeating it at my press conferences,” Rohee said.
“Always asking why we didn’t do it. It doesn’t matter. We are in politics, we are not in a Sunday school. If it wasn’t applicable then, well it is applicable now. Look at the APNU+AFC, how many things have they not back pedaled on?” Rohee questioned.
PPP Secretary and parliamentarian Zulfikar Mustapha echoed Rohee’s position that the party never abused state resources for campaigning. “I could say one thing that when we were in government—and I was involved in a lot of these arrangements—normally we pay for our transportation, especially in the interior when we send people. I normally ensure that we pay, the funds come from Freedom House and we pay for these things,” he said.
