Former Auditor General of Guyana Anand Goolsarran has written to the Alliance For Change (AFC) asking that it consider replacing him as the party’s nominee to the yet-to-be established Public Procurement Commission citing reasons such as Government ridicule and vicious attacks since his name was put up as a nominee some months ago.
In a letter to AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday, Goolsarran said that it is a decision on which he laboured for some time. “I have been the subject of attacks and ridicule from the present Government, its youth arm and the Government controlled media. They have associated me with the AFC whereas, as you know, I am not. My only crime in this regard is that you are my friend and that friendship predates the formation of the AFC,” said Goolsarran.
The former public servant is one of two nominees for the PPC, the other being Chartered Accountant and Attorney at Law Christopher Ram.
Goolsarran became Auditor General in 1991 and demitted office at the end of 2004. He said that in doing so he voluntarily gave up 11 years of entitlement since he could have served until 2015. “My job entailed critical examination of governance issues. While being critical, I tried to be as objective as possible and both the past and the previous administration have been at the receiving end of my work,” he said.
“I returned to Guyana last year and was thrust into the public arena to comment on matters within my technical competence. In doing so, and in trying to defend the public interest in my writings, I was deemed anti-Government with a political agenda. I am ostracised by those in power, some of whom were my close friends and associates…”
He added “It seems acceptable if you are closely aligned or are supportive of the present administration. However if you are critical of it or speak up, you are branded as if you have committed the gravest of sins”.
Goolsarran in his letter described yesterday’s article about him in the Guyana Chronicle as a vicious attack. The article accused Goolsarran of being in league with the PNC in not having audited accounts of the country “whereas the opposite is true”, Goolsarran asserted.
“It may be fair to state that my exposure of the lack of accountability under the previous (PNC) administration might have contributed in no small measure to the electoral victory of the present administration in 1992. Without trying to blow my own trumpet, the restoration of public accountability was entirely due to my efforts. Dr. Roger Luncheon and the Minister of Finance [Dr. Ashni Singh who was my deputy] could testify to this,” he said. “One could go back to the very same Chronicle newspaper of the early 1990s to attest to my efforts. I have copies of those press clippings which I am willing to share with anyone interested in the truth,” he said.
