Ramayya fires back …says he resisted the pressure to do things that were wrong

BY MICHAEL YOUNGE

Former Alliance for Change Executive Member and Region Six Regional Executive Officer (REO) Dr Veerasammy Ramayya on Friday lashed back at Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s response to his resignation as he described the new Government as “corrupt”, “dishonest” and “ungrateful”.

The former REO said that from time to time, there was massive interference from personnel within the structure of the Central Government in the tender and procurement process of goods and services in the Region.

He explained that very early into his appointment in the Region, he resisted the pressure to do things that were wrong even if it appeared politically correct. He argued that this is exactly where his troubles started resulting in him falling out of favour with some in the AFC-run Government circles.

“I see myself as an honest person but I was dealing with a set of dishonest people”, the former REO who recently resigned admitted.

Tender breaches, corruption

Dr Ramayya alleged that the interference in the work of the Regional Tender Board was orchestrated by some AFC/APNU personnel in the Region and Central Government.

He pointed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he revealed that he was being pressured to pay a local consultancy firm close to $1M dollars on rewiring the hospital when he was not consulted or told of problems in this respect.

Ramayya also said that a decision was made by the Hospital to pay, in another instance, close to $2M to somebody to clean the septic tanks there.

“They paid somebody to clean the septic tanks there with buckets and bury the waste right in the Hospital compound. They could have used a suction pump for half of the price. I stalled the payment because they did not consult me”, he remarked.

He also explained that a specific plumber was handpicked and bought half-a-million dollars in materials to get another job done and said he objected to this too.

Kiss of Death

Interestingly, Dr Ramayya also reported a massive decline in the support base for the AFC in Berbice as he maintained that it had nothing to do with his performance on the job but rather the continuous corruption scandals hitting the Government, its failure to honour promises to residents of Berbice and the shift in the type of politics played by the AFC since joining the coalition.

“I read that the PM said that I was incompetent. I want to ask him, why they gave me the job and was willing to keep me there”, he remarked.

He said that lots of sacrifices were made for the party so that the PPP could have been removed from office since 2011 but few rewards are being had by people who have laboured and should now enjoy the fruits of their work such as good governance, transparency and accountability.

Ramayya felt disrespected by his party and the Government explaining now that residents of Berbice are “cussing” the coalition down and he has to face them each day because it was him “and not Moses” that delivered the votes in both elections.

“I have buried the AFC and placed a nail in its coffin. Before the leaders said one thing and now they stand for something else…You should see them boys now in the nice suits…Its clear that they do not care about the people after getting what they wanted”, Ramayya explained during the interview.

Dr Ramayya resigned this week as REO and an AFC Member though several attempts were made in the past. He remains one of the most popular figure heads in the party especially after the controversies that erupted whilst he was REO.