Is the VP the ultimate paragon of virtue? I think not!

Dear Editor,

The Vice President (VP) response – no laws broken and no evidence of corruption – to the constant publicity of the Kaieteur and Canje Blocks give away has the hallmark of a man who had lost his temper and sanity and would do anything to have his way.
While the VP had seen conflict of interest in Granger’s unilateral appointment of Patterson to GECOM’s chair on the Constitutional clause – “a list not unacceptable to the President”- now that the shoe is on his foot, any unwritten rule, such as, “you should not give pigs your pearl to keep” or in this instance, “oil blockade do should never be given to people or companies with no experience in exploration or extraction of oil” was cast into the fire of irrelevance by this statement from the VP.

“So whether you have capability or not, that was never a requirement of the [Petroleum] Act.” In short, if it is not written, it does not apply. Jagdeo mirrors the extant irrationality that the Coalition subjected us to for the past five years.
Admittedly! There is no precedent here, like with the appointment of a GECOM chair. There is no need for a precedent. It is all simple logic that a president (Ramotar) should have known. Not to the VP! This is where he buried himself into absurdity by saying: “I’m convinced from knowing Ramotar that there was no corruption.”

The VP neglected or is unaware of the oldest and most valuable lesson in life – “you don’t swear for no one because it is human to err”.
The VP in his efforts to wave away the flipping of the Kaieteur and Canje Blocks by their initial owners said: “oil majors like ExxonMobil and Total SA would take licences and flip them.”
This is casting dust in the eyes of the public with a deceptive comparison. Exxon and Total SA are no “Johnny come lately”- they have earned their credentials to flip blocks by being certified oil producers on a global scale.

When the story of the giveaway had first broken in 2019, Jagdeo conveniently cannot recall committing to supporting an independent “probe” as the Opposition Leader. Now with VP fitted to his feet, he is demanding the right to do the initial probe. Reminded of the conflict of interest involved in him investigating members of his “PPP family”, Jagdeo puts on the mantle of “Alpha and Omega” – that’s the first stage. I have to be satisfied”- his words, before any decision to investigate further.
Is Jagdeo the ultimate paragon of virtue? I think not.

Can you imagine someone deciding to do a probe and having the audacity to give a preview of his findings or mindset – that he saw no laws broken or any corruption? It’s crystal clear! The probe will not get further than the VP.
The VP moving from his favourite pastime phrase, “show me the evidence” to pretense of finding it for himself, paints a picture of the VP losing his relevance.

Rudolph Singh