Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 14, 2015 News
…WPA demands that money be withheld from Govt.
The Working People Alliance (WPA) is adamant that there should be no financial negotiations for the Amaila Falls project unless Guyana has a functioning National Assembly. The Party is saying that attempts to fund the project without parliamentary approval would be illegal.
The WPA yesterday called on the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Norway to withhold monies from the Government of Guyana for purposes of pursuing the Amaila Falls Hydro Project until the National Assembly is reconvened.
The Party issued a statement that sought to register its dismay at the growing evidence that Norway and the IDB are “colluding with the Government of Guyana to violate the Constitution of Guyana and to participate in the unlawful spending of public funds.”
WPA stated that the Guyana Constitution stipulates that all moneys belonging to Guyana must be paid into the Consolidated Fund, “this includes moneys receivable by Guyana under the five-year agreement between Guyana and Norway for Guyana to be paid to protect its forests.”
Via release, the WPA declared that “the announcement that Norway recently asked IDB to receive US$80 million as Guyana’s equity in the Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project is a flagrant violation of the Guyana Constitution.”
The political party said that the arrangement between Norway, the IDB and Guyana amounts to a conspiracy.
To support its allegation, the WPA stated that both the IDB and the Government of Norway must be aware that President Donald Ramotar has prorogued the parliament thus affecting its main committee which in any case had voted against the Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project on hydrological, economic and financial grounds.
The Party said that unless the National Assembly revisits and votes to support the project, the government cannot legally undertake the Amaila Falls Project. It added that the IDB and the Government of Norway have to be courageous enough not to be bullied into participating in this illegality.
Further, the WPA stated that “ the IDB and the Government of Norway must be aware of their own commitments and the reservations in relation to the Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project and that a full ecological and independent economic study is still to be carried out. They must be aware that such considerations must never be sacrificed for cheap domestic and electoral politics.”
The Party’s statement also noted that it, like the rest of the world, has admired Norway’s transparency traditions, and said “that has made our disappointment gravely acute. We are therefore considering action to bring this violation to the attention of stakeholders of that country and to the global NGO Green movement which appears unaware of this impropriety”.
The political body called on the IDB to return the funds to Norway which, it said, in turn should not release any monies to the Government of Guyana until the National Assembly is reconvened, either by recalling Parliament or following the holding of elections.
WPA also called on China, India and the European Commission to desist from any pre-electoral deals with the Ramotar Administration “which has no legitimacy to enter into any contracts on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana.”
Further, the Party called on the Ramotar Administration to heed the statement issued by the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Andrew Ayre.
On Monday, Mr. Ayre held a press conference and noted that member countries of the British Commonwealth are considering referring Guyana to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group over the November 10, 2014 suspension of the Parliament of Guyana, which Mr. Ayre described as a clear breach of the Guyana Constitution and the Commonwealth Charter.
Noting that “Guyana could be subject to a critical review because of breaches of the Commonwealth Charter” Mr. Ayre called on the Ramotar Administration to resume Parliament without delay or lay out a timeline for the resumption of parliamentary democracy.
The WPA, which has representation in the National Assembly, pointed out yesterday that the National Assembly has not met since July 10, 2014. The Party said that this is raising serious questions as to whether Guyana can still call itself democratic.
It was further stated that “the Ramotar Administration has used the intervening six months to rule by decree, to spend extravagantly, unlawfully and unconstitutionally outside of any mechanism of transparency, accountability or good governance”.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
SportsMax – West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews delivered a stellar all-round performance to lead her team to a commanding 113-run victory over Pakistan Women in the first One Day...Kaieteur News – For years, the disciples of Bharrat Jagdeo have woven a narrative of economic success during his tenure... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]