Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon and other Members of Parliament (MPs) from the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) camp should be the last to speak about influencing commissions says the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). The party contends that the APNU+AFC’s “outpourings constitute hypocrisy, duplicity and the shedding of crocodile tears.”
The party made this comment days after Paul Slowe, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) alleged that the President, Dr. Irfaan Ali sought to influence him in getting “his people” (Ali) promoted. Also, it comes on the heels of the Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon calling on Dr. Ali to resign over the claim.
The party noted that the APNU+AFC is being “duplicitous”.
“Mr. Harmon and the APNU/AFC would like Guyanese and the international community to forget about the blatant attempt by Simona Broomes to direct the Public Service Commission to halt promotions of public servants upon the instructions of former President David Granger. Legal proceedings were filed and Attorney General Basil Williams consented to an Order before the then Chief Justice that the letter constituted political interference with an independent, constitutional tribunal in contravention of the Constitution.”
The PPP/C also said that it was Harmon who allegedly wrote to the Police Service Commission on behalf of President Granger, instructing the Commission to halt Police promotions.
Indeed, Harmon’s letter was challenged by Court proceedings and he was guilty of violating the Constitution by politically interfering with an independent constitutional body.
“As for Mr. Slowe, he is alleging that the President attempted to influence him in a conversation since last year but kept that a secret and perhaps, no one would have heard about it, had he not been slapped with a Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000) fraud charge along with a charge for sexual assault. This gentleman who now presents himself as a paragon of virtue saw nothing wrong in receiving millions of dollars from the Guyana Police Force while he is the Chairman of a constitutional commission, wielding disciplinary powers over the very Force.”
The party continued, “Clearly in the face of these very serious allegations, Mr. Slowe has become a desperate man. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali has already rejected these allegations. They are simply without merit or credibility.”
