Government has accepted invitations to attend events overseas at the expense of private individuals in the diaspora, according to Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who says the trips have been used to promote “government’s business” and he sees nothing ethically wrong with doing so.
Just after winning the May 11th elections, a government delegation had visited the United States, where a victory rally was held for the APNU+AFC coalition.
Although the opposition had suggested that taxpayers’ funds were used for the trip, government subsequently explained that it was funded by private individuals and that no state money was used. More recently, Harmon and Minister of Tourism Cathy Hughes travelled to Canada and eyebrows were raised as there was no public announcement that they were travelling to Canada on government business.
When asked during a post-Cabinet press briefing last week about the trips, Harmon explained that since the new government was elected it has been invited by the diaspora, including political groups, to be part of rallies and thank you meetings. “We did not feel it right to be using government monies to be dealing with some of those matters. Additionally we are cash-strapped,” he said, while adding that government has been using the opportunities nonetheless to promote “government’s business” and that there was no “ethical dilemma.”
He said in the US, the government was invited by a committee to
celebrate the coalition’s victory and in Canada, the invitation came from the Last Lap Committee which is made up of old students from various secondary schools here.
Hughes, who was also in attendance at the press briefing, added that the opportunity to visit Canada was a good marketing strategy as between 4,000 and 7,000 Guyanese would have been gathered in a single location for the event. Noting that no representative of the previous administration had ever visited to partake in this occasion, she said government felt it had to go to say “thank you” as the committee had made many donations to schools here over the years. She singled out her old school, St. Rose’s, which has benefited from a computer lab and two science laboratories. “We want to take advantage of opportunities like that.
It is not an individual that has extended this invitation and therefore you might be worrying what’s the payback… we were happy to attend,” she said, before adding that government set up a booth and listened to the concerns of Guyanese. She said she met with about 60 persons on each of the three days she was there and did all she could to convince them that they should come back home and invest.
