Dear Editor,
First allow me to congratulate Stabroek News for obtaining a response from the Ministry of the Presidency which confirms several things. First, President Granger and his entourage did indeed use a private plane and not commercial to travel to The Bahamas for his three-day visit. Second, had the use of the private plane not been reported in the Bahamian press how would the Guyanese people have known about it? Third, no other media entity saw it fit to press the Ministry of the Presidency for an explanation of this example of profligate spending. Fourth, the Ministry of the Presidency seems to confuse the word feasible with the word convenient. Since the Ministry of the Presidency is in the mood to answer questions and release information kindly answer the following questions in relation to The Bahamas three-day visit:
- How many persons comprised the entourage and state their designations?
- Who were the invited guests that accompanied President Granger?
- What were the per diem rates for each member of the entourage?
- What gifts were presented to the Government of The Bahamas and what was the cost of each?
- What method of procuring those gifts was employed?
- What were the daily rates of the hotel per room?
- What was the method of selecting that company for the private charter?
- What investments were secured from that trip?
In addition, it was brought to my attention that this was not the only time that President Granger, (who constantly reminds Guyanese of the impoverished state of Guyana’s finances) has used a private plane for international travel.
Attached is a photo of President Granger disembarking a private plane at the airport of St Vincent and the Grenadines in February of this year. My further investigation has revealed that not one but three private planes were used by President Granger and his entourage for this trip. Kindly share with the nation what was the cost of the three private planes to St Vincent and the Grena-dines along with the method used to procure the use of its service.
Yours faithfully,
Charles S. Ramson
