Georgetown: There is nothing wrong with using State resources for political campaigning says Prime Ministerial Candidate for the APNU+AFC Coalition Khemraj Ramjattan.
Further, Ramjattan who is first Vice President and Minister of Public Security said that using such resources is actually “an advantage to incumbency.”
The AFC Leader at a recent press conference when asked about the use of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) helicopters by his running mate –President David Granger –to attend a campaign rally at Hopetown, West Coast Berbice (WCB) on January 08, 2020 along with the First Lady use of GDF aircraft in hinterland visits.
Ramjattan said, “it is ridiculous to make the argument that the President of a country cannot use the State resources to get him to one end of the country and you know it is even more ludicrous to make even that point that he is using State resources.”
Ramjattan added that Mr Granger remains the President of Guyana until a new President is sworn in.
“…and if for purposes he would like to use the helicopter belonging to those State agencies with helicopters, there is absolutely nothing wrong about that. It is the norm of every other democracy I know even during campaign purposes,” the PM Candidate told the media.
Ramjattan, whose party members also head the Department of Public Information (DPI), was asked about the use of that agency to live stream the APNU+AFC campaign rallies.
This, he said, is one of the advantages of being in Government at the time.
The APNU and AFC while in opposition had criticized the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government for using State resources to campaign. The parties had particularly protested the use of the State media and DPI which was then named the Government Information Agency (GINA) and cut the budget for that entity and the National Communications Network to $1 each in 2012.
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo –now Opposition Leader –continues to bemoan the content released by the DPI, NCN and the Guyana Chronicle.
Speaking at his weekly press conference Thursday last, Jagdeo said the use of State resources is unfair to other parties.
Ramjattan, however, said the governing political parties are not allowed to spend Government monies for campaigning.
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