PPP repudiates Stabroek News' report
The People's Progressive Party (PPP) has repudiated the substance of a front-page report [please note: link provided by LOSP web site] published in yesterday's Stabroek News, which had indicated, among other things, that at a Central Committee meeting held by the party on Saturday, July 3 the suggestion had been raised that government ministers should be evaluated. In a statement issued by PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar yesterday evening close to press time, the report, captioned 'PPP Central Committee wants evaluation of ministers,' was described as being riddled with speculation, and as smacking of "a piece of fiction." "It further demonstrates the Stabroek News' willingness to sacrifice a basic laid down practice in responsible Journalism," the release said, "- verify the facts before publishing." Ramotar said that this newspaper had failed to seek a response from him on information received from what he described as "questionable sources." The release stated that it wanted to reiterate that all of the promises made at the 1997 elections to the electorate and PPP membership would be honoured by the party, and that in particular, the 'A' Team formula, [which would allow for Minister of Finance Bharrat Jagdeo to succeed President Jagan should she step down for any reason] still stood. "Any fresh consideration of this matter," Ramotar said, "would be immediately, brought to the attention of the electorate and the public in general." While the PPP had tried to refrain from responding to mischievous speculation, said the statement, the "naked attempt" on the part of this newspaper to create confusion and cast aspersions on the members of the Central Committee had caused it to issue a response. Ramotar went on to say that the Cental Committee was the highest decision making forum of the party outside of Congress, and that this body met on average once a quarter. The meeting of July 3 was a statutory meeting planned about four weeks ago, and it reviewed the political situation in Guyana since the last meeting and outlined the way forward for the coming period. The meeting, he continued, also ventilated the "developmental thrust" of the administration, as well as its policies. "The performance of any Government minister or functionary was not evaluated," he said, and he questioned the motive of the Stabroek News in reporting that the Central Committee had been critical of ministers' performance. This newspaper, he alleged, had "exposed its mischief" even earlier by indicating that the issue of the leadership of the party would be discussed at the meeting. "The PPP wishes to categorically state that the issue of leadership of the Party occupied no part of the agenda or the daylong deliberations," he asserted, because there was no need for the matter to be deliberated on. The statement concluded by saying that the PPP was concerned about the fact that a "leading newspaper" would "with alacrity base an entire front page report on speculations," and that some elements of the story were reminiscent of what Stabroek News had reported around the period of the party congress last year. "Does the Stabroek News have a hidden agenda?" it asked. Ramotar said that a detailed press release on the conclusions of the Central Committee meeting in question would be forthcoming. Contacted for a comment, the acting editor of the Stabroek News said that the paper stood by its sources.
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