Denying that he is the owner of multiple houses and a bar, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman yesterday labelled such claims as a desperate attempt by the opposition PPP to besmirch his character.
An anti-government Facebook page, Live in Guyana, in a paid post on Facebook on Saturday, posted photographs of two homes and a bar, saying that they cost some $250 million and are owned by Trotman. It claimed that Trotman owns the three properties, two of which are located at Nabaclis on the East Coast of Demerara and one at Providence on the East Bank of Demerara. Trotman’s father owns a home at Nabaclis but none of the photos posted were of that house.
Persons who apparently know the real owners of the properties were quick to condemn the posts online and were critical of the page’s managers for peddling lies. Trotman himself issued a statement yesterday.
“I have noted with amusement the emergence of some extremely humorous comments on social media, being peddled by recognised PPP trolls. A number of these posts are accompanied by photographs of properties purported to be mine and malicious propaganda aimed at smearing my character and casting doubt on the probity of my conduct as a Minister of the Government of Guyana,” he said in the statement.
“It is a bit sad to see the depths to which the PPP and their cohorts have descended, and their willingness to peddle falsehoods to the Guyanese public,” he continued
Trotman told Stabroek News that he owns a home in Providence but he does not know whose homes the website posted to its page.
A photograph on the page gives a partial view of the minister’s Providence property. “I live in one home, which was acquired through a mortgage. It does not have a swimming pool or tennis courts. In comparison to the homes of some former PPP Ministers, it is, by all measures, a modest home,” Trotman said.
“To be clear this “PPP troll attack” reflects their desperation and their ongoing attempt to deflect the attention of the Guyanese people from an examination of their record. However, what they are only now beginning to realise is that the Guyanese public was right here in Guyana when a chosen few went on their twenty-three year binge of corruption and enriching themselves,” he added.
Trotman said he is not worried about the posts but said he sought to address them before it spiraled out of control. “They will not fool the Guyanese people with these distractions. They have tried to cover up their actions, but now that these are being exposed, they are becoming increasingly agitated and have reverted right back to where they are most comfortable – mud-slinging. These latest social media attacks are laughable, but given the nature of the PPP, I predict that these will not be the last; and that the messaging will become increasingly preposterous,” he said.
He is calling on “all Guyanese not to fall prey to fake news and the PPP’s desperation.”
