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On February 23, it was reported by local media that Guyana had been suspended from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) after failing to submit a required report by the stipulated deadline. It was reported, too, that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration had been informed of the suspension since November of last year.
The EITI is regarded as a global standard for the good governance of oil, gas and mineral resources.
Following the media revelation, President Irfaan Ali went public. Apparently outraged by the suspension he vowed to hold persons in his government responsible for the embarrassing development.
President Ali said, “I have made it clear that it is unacceptable to have a delay in the submission of the report.”
The president’s words, tone, and demeanour appeared to communicate that other people in his administration were entirely to be blamed for the failure to submit the vital report; the president took no responsibility at all. Further, his outraged manner appeared to imply that His Excellency had only just now become aware of the suspension. That, of course, is beyond belief.
The parallels between this debacle and the Charrandass Persaud scandal are immediately obvious.
Guyanese will recall the president’s apparent surprise after it was revealed by the media in October 2022, that the PPP appointed High Commissioner to India, Charrandass Persaud was recorded on video on August 1, 2021, hurling profanities and sexually abusive language at a woman who had been trying to feed homeless dogs.
It was later revealed that the matter was known to the PPP regime and covered up by the administration.
All things considered, Guyanese may be justified in wondering if the PPP regime would ever reveal anything less-than-favourable about itself if it were not for the media.
While citizens may be amused by the apparent ability of the president to feign outrage and surprise — and to cast blame on others — Guyanese, on a serious note, may well wonder what else may be hidden by the PPP regime; what else does the media have to uncover for the president to act surprised about?
