Facing concern by coalition partner AFC over the extensive powers of Minister of State Joseph Harmon, President David Granger last evening defended his APNU colleague, saying his duties are not “burdensome” and no objections had been raised before.
The AFC’s alarm was triggered largely by Harmon’s controversial appointment of businessman Brian Tiwarie as a Ministerial Advisor on Business Development although Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who is AFC vice-chairman, yesterday suggested that he saw nothing wrong in Harmon’s appointment of Tiwarie even as he maintained that his powers should be trimmed. Nagamootoo said that Harmon was an “honest” person and Tiwarie should not be blamed for the fiasco. Further, he also said “some hysteria has been drawn into this thing and it carries with it some type of political witch-hunting.”
It was not clear who Nagamootoo was referring to but he made it clear he was not a “witch-hunter” even as he declined to comment on whether Harmon should be disciplined. He also did not respond directly to whether there had been a lack of judgement on