In its elaborate undercover operation here, it is clear that US agency, VICE News’ intention was to catch Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on the take. Hence, the insistence of the fake businessman “Mr Chan”, at the residence of Mr Jagdeo, wanting to ensure that the money under consideration went to the Vice President. VICE News did not have its gotcha! moment. However, its exertions here and its multiple interviews raise unsettling questions about the Vice President and ultimately for the government.
That VICE News would invest a substantial sum and risk its reputation in an undercover investigation of what it believed to be deep-seated corruption influenced by Chinese businessmen and reaching all the way to the Vice President cannot be good for the country considering the expanded business expected from oil revenues and the historical association of Guyana with high levels of corruption.
So while its long-anticipated, 16-minute programme, `Guyana For Sale’ ended on Sunday limply with a wistful remark about Guyanese being left to question “who gets to buy their country and for what price” there will no doubt be fallout among those investors who play by the rules and who abhor climates that may be conducive to corruption.
There is one particularly troubling snippet in the footage aired by VICE News of the encounter at Mr Jagdeo’s house that involved his next door tenant, the now notorious Mr Su Zhirong, and “Mr Chan”. The latter duly thanks Mr Jagdeo for seeing him and is ushered to a seat. “Mr Chan” – probably carrying a hidden camera – then tries to set the trap when he enquires of the Vice President “do you understand our deal in detail?”
Mr Jagdeo then protests: “No, no, no, no. I am not getting involved with business. You will get the support. Su is my friend. He gets all the support. Su deals with all the agreements. I don’t, I don’t. The thing is that – my thing is that I am in government. So I assist from (the) government side. That’s it”.
Taken on their own, the words seem harmless enough. Mr Jagdeo says he is not getting involved, he is in government and assists from there and Mr Su, his friend, deals with all the agreements. Juxtaposed, however, with what we now know about Mr Su, those words from the Vice President take on added meaning. At various points of the programme broadcast on Sunday Mr Su is keen to flaunt his access to decision-makers, Mr Jagdeo included. He ably demonstrates this by being able to secure a meeting for “Mr Chan” with the Vice President and at several points speaks about consulting fees/bribes and how these are divvied up by Mr Jagdeo. Mr Su is clearly an influence peddler on the prowl for deals and adept at deployment of inducements. He is clearly not the type of person the Vice President should be having any dealings with in relation to those who may want to do business with the government or even generally. This is perhaps why Mr Jagdeo seemed to have been so unnerved when the VICE reporter, Isobel Yeung asked him about a Mr Su on February 1st. The momentary hesitation in answering her would have refreshed Mr Jagdeo’s memory about the “Mr Chan” meeting weeks before at his house and perhaps other encounters with Mr Su.
Mr Jagdeo will obviously take his own counsel on who he associates with. However, having been President for 12 years, the current General Secretary of the PPP and a seasoned politician why would he be making himself available for Mr Su to entertain “Mr Chan” whose credentials would never have checked out if even a cursory check had been done? How many other times might this not have occurred to the advantage of Mr Su and his numerous ventures here in a variety of sectors?
What exactly constitutes the “support” that Mr Jagdeo’s friend Mr Su will get? Which agreements does Mr Su deal with that are in the knowledge of Mr Jagdeo, what do they entail and are they connected to the government? How many such deals have there been and what are their contours? Answers from Mr Jagdeo are required and it is in the interest of the country and the government that these are provided. There should be full public disclosure precisely as Mr Su has been recorded discussing payments.
Mr Jagdeo has already stated that he will be suing Mr Su over the statements broadcast in the programme. Mr Jagdeo told this newspaper on Sunday: “He (Mr Su) had said that VICE News lied on him and had issued a statement (to this effect). Now that they have him on record as though he was doing this, that he claimed he was not doing, that means he has abused the access and friendship he had with me to rip people off. So I am going to take legal action against him, because he is damaging my reputation in doing (so) and also he will no longer, as I had said in the past when you had asked me about it, he will no longer be a tenant”.
Guyanese are astute enough to know that Mr Su, like Baishanlin, won’t be seen again in these realms anytime soon so there is unlikely to be any resolution of the contretemps that now exists between Mr Jagdeo and his former friend/tenant. The plight now falls into the lap of President Ali. The VICE programme has saddled the country with the image of one that is easily corrupted, one in which some Chinese businessmen have apparently utilised these means and a cloud over the Vice President.
A major problem for President Ali is the perception that Mr Jagdeo is the channel through which all decisions are made – the éminence grise. This on its own creates the forces that gravitate in the direction of the Vice President. Mr Jagdeo is the undisputed oil and gas czar and also appears to have plenipotentiary powers in addressing matters far and wide and those coming under various ministerial portfolios. That must come to an end for ordered governance to prevail and for the President to be seen as the person in charge of decision-making in the administration.
As for Mr Jagdeo, the burden is now his to conduct himself in a manner that doesn’t bring the administration into disrepute. There is one particular exchange in his interview on February 1st with Ms Yeung that he may now rue. Throwing up a lob for the smash that was to come later Ms Yeung asks: “Guyana has attracted a lot of foreign investment recently, what is it that Guyana has to offer?” Mr Jagdeo’s response ended with a hearty chuckle: “The opportunity to make money that is why people are coming here, so that’s what I am going to say”. There are many like Mr Su out to make money but in what manner and at what cost to the nation and its people? This is what the Ali administration should ponder and act accordingly.
