Annette Ferguson, Member of Parliament and former Minister within the Ministry of Housing, has sharply criticised the ongoing political persecution of African Guyanese professionals under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), accusing the current government of using state power to target former officials of the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government. In a letter to the editor, Ferguson expressed her outrage over the recent charges brought against former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, which she labeled “unconscionable” and unfounded.
Jordan was on Monday charged with misconduct in public office. The state is alleging that between February 25 and June 11, 2020, the former minister recklessly signed a vesting order for over five acres of land at Lot PSS Plantation Beterverwagting and Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara.
Ferguson argues that these charges, much like previous ones that were dismissed, are politically motivated and part of a wider effort to intimidate and discredit those associated with the previous administration.
Ferguson points to the latest developments in Jordan’s case, noting that despite being cleared of earlier charges by a competent court, he remains a target of politically charged legal actions. She contrasts Jordan’s situation with findings from a 2016 investigation into the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) related to the controversial Sparendaam Housing Project, which reveals significant irregularities regarding the vesting of land.
Ferguson explains that a Cabinet decision made on March 9, 2010, marked as “SECRET,” purportedly sought to vest the land for the Sparendaam project in the CHPA. However, the former minister claims that the Cabinet decision did not actually constitute the formal vesting of the land. She writes:-
“On March 9, 2010, a Cabinet decision marked SECRET purported to vest in the CHPA ‘the new development project at Plantation Sparendaam,’ which, to the best of our knowledge and understanding, does not constitute vesting of the land. It appears, however, that the Housing Ministry, of which Mr. Irfaan Ali was Minister, and the Registrar of Lands, Ms. Juliet Sattaur, took the Cabinet decision as key and proceeded to facilitate and issue Certificates of Title to various persons.”
Furthermore, Ferguson highlights the findings of Dr. Anand Goolsarran, former Auditor General, who investigated the land’s vesting in the report on the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). Dr. Goolsarran found no evidence of the Sparendaam land being vested in NICIL or subsequently in CHPA, which further questions the legality of the land transactions.
She write that the Report at paragraph six (6) states: “While Cabinet made the decision on March 9, 2010, to vest the land at Sparendaam in the CHPA, Dr. Anand Goolsarran, former Auditor General, stated in section 4.5.13 of his report on the investigation of NICIL that, ‘I have also reviewed the vesting orders covering the period 2007 to 2014 and I have found no evidence of the Sparendaam land being vested in NICIL and subsequently to CHPA.’ This confirms our own inquiries.”
Ferguson contrasts this with the fact that President Irfaan Ali, who was Minister of Housing at the time, has not been charged in connection with these land transactions. Instead, Ali faces allegations of fraud for allegedly defrauding the state of over $174 million through the sale of 19 plots of state land at Sparendaam and Goedverwagting, a case that also involves several high-ranking government officials.
The former minister argues that despite this serious level of corruption, Ali remains uncharged, whereas Jordan is continually persecuted despite being cleared in a court of law.
Ali was NEVER charged in relation to the ‘vesting order’ (which was never issued by the then Minister of Finance, Dr. Singh), but rather for nineteen (19) charges of fraud for allegedly defrauding the state of over $174M between 2011 and 2015,” Ferguson wrote.
She emphasised that these charges stemmed from allegations that Ali and others conspired to sell 19 plots of state land at greatly reduced prices, including to several Cabinet members—then-President Bharrat Jagdeo, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon, and Ministers Priya Manickchand, Dr. Jennifer Westford, Robert Persaud, and Clement Rohee—along with other individuals with close ties to the PPP/C government.
Ferguson also lambasts the selective application of justice under the PPP/C, criticising the government for allowing powerful figures to escape accountability while pursuing politically motivated cases against their critics. She points to the cases of Dr. Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington, former officials in the previous PPP/C government, who returned to senior positions in office after their cases were dismissed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The constant and persistent persecution of Mr. Winston Jordan is nothing more than a politically motivated vendetta, Ferguson contends, stressing the unequal treatment of those critical of the government. She argues that the ongoing attacks on Jordan and others serve as a clear demonstration of the PPP/C’s misuse of state power to target its opponents.
In conclusion, Ferguson urges Jordan to continue his activism and efforts to expose government wrongdoing, invoking a Biblical quote from the Book of Hosea: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” underscoring Jordan’s vital role in educating the public on issues of national importance.
And in a parting shot the parliamentarian calls on the government to shift its focus from silencing critics to addressing real security threats, particularly those posed by external forces like Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
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