Whatever grand plans the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) purports to have for the “wise spending” of the oil resources, Finance Minister, Winston Jordan asserts that the citizenry should treat it with the same respect offered to a counterfeit bill.
In fact, the Minister said that citizens should shudder at the thought of a PPP administration leading an oil-rich Guyana, especially when considered against the backdrop of the massive scale of financial transgressions that occurred during its 23 years in office.
During an interview with Guyana Standard, the economist said, “We never had the kind of resources that are coming but these people were able to build Pradoville One and Two, Eccles, Diamond, and Parfaite Harmonie and all the other places where their friends and families have two, three four, massive plots of land and you see the wealth. Can you imagine when they get their hands on oil what would happen?”
The Finance Minister added, “People need to wake up and understand this is for keeps. If their memory is short, just go back to what we have endured for 23 years and imagine what would happen with the current resources if it is concentrated in the hands of Mr. Man and his acolytes.”
Minister Jordan further stated that even in societies that are not known for widespread corruption, when oil comes on board, all the stands “just fall through the roof.” He said that Guyana needs to avoid this at all costs.
While the political opposition has, on several occasions, painted the APNU+AFC administration as corrupt, Jordan categorically stated that it is a tactic that would never work. He alluded to the fact that unlike some in the PPP, APNU+AFC members are not building massive houses or using state resources “to cut up roads and lead water into certain sections of the community that benefit only a narrow range of people.”
