Dear Editor,
The NICIL issue highlighted recently is just another case of widespread irregularity in the Public Sector. In this case it goes even further as it was planned and directed from the most powerful office of this country.
The effective remedy is to demand that Mr Brassington be replaced and a forensic audit conducted by an independent team of auditors as a matter of urgency.
For Mr Brassington to claim that he is clean conflicts with his failure to tender audited accounts in Parliament for review which he was obligated to do.
NICIL, its very creation, the way its affairs were conducted, the composition of the board, in addition to its failure to tender audited accounts, the lack of Parliamentary oversight and the billions of taxpayer’s money involved should have been put under scrutiny a long time ago. I believe it was the hub of major misuse of billions of state resources and so the Jagdeo administration deliberately refused to allow an inquiry.
The current Government as well as the powers in Parliament now have a duty, not an option, to order an independent forensic audit of NICIL’s accounts. Private sector organizations must emerge from the coma of the past 12 years and support the call for such audit.
The people of Guyana must know why despite being heavily taxed, roads, drainage and other physical infrastructure remain poor, power outages are rampant, public sector wages are low and the cost of living high.
Corruption by those who hold political office is the worst crime against humanity and the chief cause of poverty, crime, social injustice and the lack of development in Guyana over the past 12 years. Our youths suffer the indignity of second class reception when they travel or migrate because of local conditions.
Yet some in the corridors of power behave as though taxpayers’ resources are their private property.
A national war on corruption in public office is the moral duty of every citizen and ought to be the most urgent task of the current administration.
Any delay or refusal in conducting this audit would be interpreted as the administration supporting corruption.
Yours faithfully,
Robert Badal
