Jagdeo and the PPP Mafia Sold-out Guyana’s Security Apparatus To Criminals

By Richard Millington, Research Assistant – George Washington University Law School

 

Outgoing President, Bharrat Jagdeo

Details are emerging about the contempt US government officials developed for Guyana’s President, Bharrat Jagdeo. Apart from his obvious criminal associations, officials were incensed by Jagdeo’s People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government’s 2006 audacious attempt to use US law enforcement to emasculate the role of then Police Commissioner, Winston Felix. “They aggressively employed draconian measures to undermine Mr. Felix to protect their criminal axis and sought our assistance to enable that subversion,” a US diplomat contends.

Jagdeo’s alleged criminal associations are so far-reaching and alarming that it motivated a senior official of the Colin Powell State Department (DOS) to regard him as a “Mafia” Head of State. Then US Ambassador to Guyana, Ronald Bullen, in a 2006 cable to DOS stated that Guyana was believed to be “a narco-state” and that “If Guyana is a narco-state, then Khan is its leader” – An indication that Jagdeo was compromised and had surrendered governance of the country to Khan’s criminal enterprise.

Felix drew the ire of Jagdeo over his aggressive pursuit of drug lords connected to Jagdeo’s ruling PPP, including now convicted criminal and accused murderer Roger Khan. Currently serving a 15 year sentence in the US for exporting and distributing narcotics in the US, Khan was Jagdeo’s ally and financier of the PPP. The Guyanese President has condemned his arrested in Surinam and extradited to the US, via Trinidad and Tobago, as “another US “rendition.”

Media Threat Intensified By PPP Administration

Lincoln Lewis, General Secretary Guyana Trades Union Congress - Press Release

In the wake of an attack on the media by President Jagdeo and the recent threat by Gail Texiera of reporting certain media houses to the United Nations, GTUC urges government to go right ahead without delay. We are assured that the blanket control and domination of state media, restriction of broadcast licenses, suppression and intimidation of independent media, economic destruction of the media by targeting of advertisers to deny media freedom, use of the media as a wedge to divide society and create ethnic tensions and violence as well as disseminate PPP propaganda, will make for interesting analysis before an independent arbiter of the United Nations. Additionally the consequence of fear of expression forces media self censorship  in order to survive ;job losses and increased prices also result as media houses increase prices to offset advertisement suppression would make for interesting disclosures. These too relate to efforts and consequences of media suppression that the UN would be interested in.

GTUC has a direct interest in media freedom as this is foundational to free, fair, transparent and credible elections and forging a society where the rule of law and good governance can prevail. It is the media’s role as a pillar of democracy to protect the rights of every citizen and where necessary expose those who violate the laws of the land and the rights of others. The PPP government clearly does not desire that their activities be exposed for they would prefer that Guyanese live in ignorance of their misdeeds and corruption, their lies, nepotism and their criminal associations such as Roger Khan.