GUYANA | Forde lashes out at VP Bharrat Jagdeo over comments on the APNU/AFC's meeting with US Congressional Reps.

Shadow Minister for Legal Affairs. APNU/AFC Member of Parliament (MP), Senior Counsel (SC) Roysdale Forde, has pointed to the release of several photographs by US Congressional Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries, as proof that  a meeting was held with the Opposition, much to the chagrin of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

In a statement this afternoon, Mr. Forde said Congressman Jeffries “in a ‘Public Statement’ last evening (October 5, 2023), confirmed his meetings, with not only the leadership of the coalition APNU/AFC, but with “several leading Congressional Democrats—with expertise in foreign affairs, finance, security and other critical issues to the Western Hemisphere and the Caribbean-American community in Brooklyn and across the United States.”

“He corroborated the opposition’s reports, and confirmed in his own words, the “important and timely discussion” and that, “in the meeting, we discussed a vision for a Guyanese economy and a society that is inclusive, developed and equitable for everyone, including the Afro-Guyanese community.”

Additionally Congressman Jeffries, corroborated, our debriefings to the public, on the meetings and conference, that the Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton—who led the APNU/AFC delegation to Washington to meet with the US legislators—“also expressed concern with racial inequalities that he felt needed to be addressed and the importance of equal protection under the law for all Guyanese,” Ford said.

He went on to say in his statement that Congressman Jeffries  “confirmed that “members of the opposition underscored the importance of lifting people out of poverty by ensuring economic growth, promoting infrastructure development and strengthening democratic institutions.”

To this end, the esteemed Lead Democratic Leader in the US House of Congress has since committed to, “continue to engage with our Guyanese counterparts and other regional neighbours and encourage the government and the opposition to work together to ensure that all Guyanese citizens, regardless of race or ethnicity, benefit from the growth underway in the South American nation.”

The Opposition MP was apparently responding to  a claim by Vice President Jagdeo, that the  ‘Washington Conference on Guyana’ was simply a forum “to extort and get people to pay money, it was money making” 

 Forde pointed out that, “In relation to the unfounded assertions directed towards me and others, Mr. Jagdeo’s persistent falsehoods, consistent deceit and habitual dishonesty and ongoing decades-old display of public duplicity, and pervasive untruths and routine misrepresentation with repeated mendacity, is comprehensively documented, and available publicly, and as such, renders this matter unworthy of further response or debate.

According to Forde “Congressman Jeffries’ public release of the photos—which was requested and respected by the political opposition–will further elucidate the remaining thousands of words demystifying Mr. Jagdeo’s public positions as ‘Gospel.’ In conclusion Mr. Jagdeo, in your own words, “If you lie about that, what else would you lie about?”

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