-exposes duplicitous lies, misinformation
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Thursday rejected what he described as a campaign of misinformation surrounding his privately owned farm, saying the property has always been public information and that every investment made can be fully accounted for.
Speaking on Thursday following his return from the Forty-Ninth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the president responded to allegations made by controversial opposition political figure Azruddin Mohamed.
President Ali said claims that the farm was recently uncovered are false, noting that its existence has long been known.
“My farm is not a discovery. It is public information,” the head of state stated.
He explained that the farm has been developed through legitimate means and without any preferential treatment from the state.
President Ali also said all financial obligations associated with the investment have been met and properly declared.
“My farm carries a huge loan, and everything has been disclosed to the Integrity Commission, in and out of government. There is absolutely nothing to hide,” he said.
The president rejected claims about the size and value of the property, describing them as exaggerated and misleading.
He stressed that the lease governing the land is subject to the same terms and conditions as those applied to other leaseholders and that no state-funded infrastructure or special concessions were provided for the development of the farm.
Addressing criticism levelled against him, President Ali said the sanctions imposed on Mohamed were not initiated by his administration.
“These sanctions did not come from President Ali. They did not come from the PPP/C Government. They came from the United States of America,” the president stated.
President Ali also disclosed that he has received messages and recordings which he believes have security implications, adding that he has a responsibility to address what he described as attempts to misrepresent the facts.
The president said he intends to periodically provide live updates from the farm to allow Guyanese to see its operations firsthand.
“I’ll go live because I want people to learn. I want people to see directly from me the misrepresentation and the mischief, the deception, the lies,” President Ali said.
The head of State urged Guyanese to carefully examine information being circulated in the public domain and distinguish facts from misinformation.
“This People’s Progressive Party Civic Government, this president, will continue to work relentlessly hard every single day for the people of this country,” President Ali said.