......Says Nagamootoo never questioned his credibility whilst he was under his employ
| Moses Nagamootoo |
A reporter who admitted being hired to work during Moses Nagamootoo's unsuccessful campaign to be presidential candidate for the PPP/C in 2011 has responded to a letter published in the Kaieteur & Stabroek News on Monday October 15th last. In the letter, a distraught Nagamootoo called into question the competence and credibility of his former employee after he reported on a series of allegations made by several Berbicians against the AFC Vice Chairman and Attorney-at-law. Here's the reporter's response:
OSSIE RODGERS: I WRITE in response to a letter published in yesterday’s (Mon 15th Oct, 2012) Stabroek News and Kaieteur News newspapers by Moses Nagamootoo, Vice Chairman and Member of Parliament for the Alliance For Change (AFC).
This letter made reference to an article written by me, Ossie Rodgers, and published in this newspaper on Sunday, October 7, 2012. I wish to make it categorically clear that I have evidence to support every line that is written in the aforementioned article.
I’ve travelled to Berbice and spoken to persons at Cotton Tree village, West Coast Berbice, who made charges against Mr. Nagamootoo. I have those conversations on tape. I can make same available for public scrutiny if Mr Nagamootoo wants me to do so.
As a Journalist, I make sure I investigate issues carefully before I report them. Mr. Nagamootoo would know this for I have worked with his unsuccessful campaign to be presidential candidate for the PPP/C in 2011.
He trusted my professional ethics as it relates to my work, which is why he secured my service to do work on his behalf in the diaspora during that failed campaign. I am responsible to the public to report what is happening without favour. That is what I did, in this instance, and would continue to do.
Mr. Nagamootoo contends that the moneys paid to him by NICIL is the subject of some privilege; well this is quite interesting. Firstly, Mr. Nagamootoo admits that he works or had worked for NICIL, the very organization which he repeatedly accuses of massive corruption.
If this is the case, one will be tempted to ask the following questions: Was Nagamootoo receiving proceeds of corruption? Is he part of this alleged corruption? Did he as a Lawyer advise NICIL that he sees corrupt practices in their daily transactions?
Secondly, Mr. Nagamootoo and his party have been repeatedly calling for transparency about NICIL and its operations. They have been calling for public disclosures of NICIL’s business and business transactions. Well, NICIL paying Mr. Nagamootoo is part of their business transactions; so how come they are calling for NICIL business to be made public but when its comes to moneys he received from the same entity he now say it is private business.
NICIL is a government entity therefore the moneys paid to Mr. Nagamootoo is government money so that money must be accounted for to the public. It is not subject to any private arrangement or privilege, it is public money and the public must know how public funds are spent.
Mr. Nagamootoo, also, claimed that he negotiated a fair deal for the people. That was not part of his mandate. All he was required to do was to carry out the government’s instructions of an already agreed arrangement with the affected residents. The government formulated a compensatory package that was offered to those residents. Mr Nagamootoo, in his selfish way which is not uncharacteristic of him, took credit for the government’s compensatory package. All he was paid to do was to execute the Government’s agreed policy for affected residents which he failed to do and that is what the residents are accusing him of. But not withstanding the failure, Nagamootoo still collected full payment for unfinished work.
Mr. Nagamootoo also disclosed that he did transports for the Ministry of Housing. Here again we are learning that he was the Lawyer for the Ministry of Housing. This is the same Nagamootoo who is on record accusing that same ministry and the Minister of corruption. One would again ask wether corruption is following him, since wherever he is the lawyer, there seems to be corruption in his party’s view. Why is it he didn’t see this perceived corruption when he was acting on these Agencies behalf? How come only now that he has been relegated to the Opposition benches that he now sees these agencies and their operatives as corrupt?
Mr. Nagamootoo’s letter has disclosed a mouthful for the Guyanese public to digest and leave more questions than answers.
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