“They’ve been doing this long, they now get catch” – Harmon responds to PPP use of state funds

By Tracey Khan-Drakes 

[www.inewsguyana.com] – General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon has harshly criticized the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) following reports that state funds were used by the Party for its electioneering campaigns in the United States and Canada recently.

Harmon is convinced that this has been an ongoing practice by the Party.

“They’ve been doing this all along, they just getting catch, we have always complained about the government utilizing state resources for their campaign activities, it is unfair, it is unlawful, it is something that we have spoken, but this government has no shame,” the General Secretary said.

He also chastised former President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, stating that it was him [Jagdeo] who was heavily critical of the Sri Lankan government for using state funds to campaign after observing that country’s elections process.

“He [Jagdeo] is doing the same thing here, he is a shameless creature, the same thing he condemns he is doing here.”

It is for this reason Harmon believes that the people are rejecting the ruling Party and Dr. Jagdeo. During his cabinet media briefing on Thursday April 16, government’s spokesman Dr. Roger Luncheon was questioned about why approval was given by cabinet for those trips; he was somewhat reluctant to respond.

When pressed again and asked whether he believed that financing of the trips was misuse of public funds, he said that was a matter for the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee.

Questions continue to linger about why public funds amounting to $2.7 M were used to finance those overseas trips under the semblance of a diaspora outreach that apparently turned out to be an electioneering operation.