Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 08, 2014 News
– To meet with Hardt today
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon has stated that contrary to what is being peddled in the public’s domain, the USAID Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) project was conceived, designed and approved without any reference or notification of the Government of Guyana.”
Luncheon said that Government’s position was misrepresented in certain sections of the media “flowing from an erroneous contention reportedly attributed to the US Ambassador in Guyana about the approval of the USAID LEAD project.”
He said also that “the contention that is being peddled is that the project was approved through the 2009 agreement between the Government of Guyana and USAID. Cabinet rejects in its entirety any submission by the Ambassador that the USAID LEAD project was the subject of any agreement between the Government of Guyana and USAID.”
Furthermore, Luncheon contends that the services of the National Republican Institute, the implementing agency for the USAID project, were procured by tender by the US authorities long before the Government of Guyana was notified about the project.
As such Luncheon said that “Cabinet objects to any resort or the use of their provisions of the 2009 Government of Guyana USAID agreement to provide some legitimacy for this unfortunate act, this unilateral act, this act of imposition by the US authorities.”
He said the “fact is that the US Ambassador has persistently peddled this line, this unacceptable interpretation and to us it is merely designed to confuse all and sundry.”
The US LEAD project for many reasons outlined by Luncheon was not given the blessings of government to go ahead despite the US Ambassador and subsequently the combined Opposition articulating the benefits that the intended project would have.
The project was nevertheless being implemented by Ambassador Hardt, prompting the government to cite a breach in national sovereignty and steps were taken to have the project stopped, including revoking the work/visa permit of the project Coordinator, Canadian Glenn Bradbury.
Luncheon is scheduled to meet with the US Ambassador today to have a sit down at the Office of the President and update the media and the public on the USAID project.
When questioned if the meeting would presuppose a compromise between the two sides, Luncheon responded by saying “this is a good supposition and I would say yes; we plan to use that opportunity to update the media.”
Speaking to whether Government intends to treat Ambassador Hardt the same way that Glenn Bradbury was treated, Luncheon said that “the USAID LEAD project…one must not blow it out of proportion…we are pretty strong and firm on the position we have held and we continue to hold on this project. We are pretty firm on that. I don’t believe that one can or one should go the extra mile to imagine that this is how you might say a brake the lance difference between the Government of Guyana and the Government of the United States of America.”
He outlined that years ago, Chief Justice Ian Chang made a comment on the constructive tension between the Executive and the Judiciary. “I am getting a better grasp of what he meant as we deal with the give and take and cut and thrust between Government and the representatives of our bilateral partners.”
Luncheon expressed that the Ambassador has “tested our nerve and our metal, he has been indeed as Rohee said a meddler of no mean order and this is the contention that I share but it doesn’t mean by no stretch of the imagination that they have gotten to the point that you wonder about…far from that.”
When pressed about when Glenn Bradbury would be leaving, Luncheon said “this is unsettled business and my anticipation is that this seeming period of unsettled business would be settled shortly.”
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