Dear Editor,
It is almost impossible to count the number of times the President goes on overseas visits. He is by far the most travelled President/Prime Minister in the region even as our country remains only above Haiti as the poorest in Caricom. The latest overseas visit is reported in your January 12, 2009 edition which carries a release by the Government Information Agency (GINA) that President Bharrat Jagdeo is on a visit to Libya, Qatar and Greece that will last one week. He is accompanied by four other persons, two ministers, the largely unknown George Hallaq, Presidential envoy to the Middle East and Greece and the religious leader close to the government and some time civil society activist Fazeel Ferouz, President of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana.
Weighed down by the yoke of flooding, high cost of living, ministers who in the absence of the President become even more unproductive, lawlessness and punitive taxation, Guyanese have a right to know the reasons, timing and the usefulness to them of such visits. Is it to meet with Guyanese nationals in those countries, to expand trade and investments or to seek diplomatic support for some major international initiative Guyana is launching? If it is trade, why not take a private sector representative or is that hat being worn by Mr Ferouz?
And we all know that when the President returns home, he makes no proper report as any responsible manager, let alone a country President would, but more often than not simply calls a press conference to discuss trite domestic issues which his ministers are paid to address, and little else.
And of course we must not forget cost. My information is that each overseas visit the President makes costs thousands of US dollars and somewhat less for ministers. How much is this visit going to cost taxpayers in total and would that money not be better spent on the poor and the flooded out in Guyana or on the numerous problems that drive Guyanese from the country?
This seems to be a perfectly legitimate question for our reporters who turn up like sheep at the President’s post-visit press conference to ask. Indeed it would be useful to know how much was spent on overseas travel by the President, his ministers and their entourages during 2008. Perhaps the Accountant General can provide us with this information, failing which I would like to see the Public Accounts Committee demand the information.
Taking full advantage of our system of electocracy, the government seems all too ready to do as it wants, when it is confident that it controls the instruments of disclosure, accounting, accountability and audit so that the public remains powerless and ignorant.
I hope that when next the government asks the inane question where the money will come from to pay living public sector wages, reasonable pensions to our senior citizens and better flood control measures, we will have several answers ready.
Yours faithfully,
Christopher Ram
This President loves to get out of Guyana where he travels to have a steady flow of water and electricity as for Guyanese citizens “LET THEM EAT CAKE” if they can afford it. As for taking private sector people on these trips the people that are connected to this govt can’t even travel to Trinidad if you know what i mean.
Ha ha. Nice one badlall. I laugh til me pants buss!!!!
Mr.Ram appears not to know the value of government heads visiting other countries to deepen trade and other beneficial ties in today’s global village. The country’s debt forgiveness did not for example happen by the President sitting down at home twiddling his thumbs.
Ram critcises the President for not being in Guyana to deal with difficulties “weighting down” Guyana. Why doen’t he be honest and add the remedial measures which have led to documented rectification and improvements ? Yet he criticises the system of those left in charge.
He says “we all know” there is no “proper report” on the President’s return . Is every minute detail to be discussed publicly ? And who is “We” ?
Mr.Ram’s letter is subjective, misinformed, contradictory and onesided.
you are such a PPP sycophant…Jagdeo was in Poland trying to flog this country’s forests and talking about cliamte change while his people were under water…get real.
Is it the President`s money being used. The Guyanese Public has a right to know and be informed. It is not for the President or anyone in gorvernment to do as they please and not be answerable.
Hey Reddy in Barbados, you’re not really ready, maybe that’s why you’re in Barbados, when you say: ‘The country’s debt forgiveness did not for example etc…etc..
Debt forgiveness is the sole domain of the CREDITOR and not the DEBTOR, even an errant schoolboy knows this. Guyana is the ultimate debtor and no amount of begging would’ve sufficed. Debt forgiveness was initially engineered by Tony Blair (the then British Prime Minister) and Bill Clinton (the then US President). And the legislature in both of these countries had their say on the issue. Guyana got lucky when they were included in the list of poor countries to be awarded this gift, therefore Reddy in Barbados, it had absolutely nothing to do with Jagdeo or his charm.
He’s getting tips from Ghadaffi on how to run a truly repressive regime. Money well spent.
How ironic and terribly sad it must be, Mr Ram, to have spent all that time campaigning to get this Govenment elected in the early 1990s, only to find that they have morphed into the same beast you sought to slay.
His visits have no usefulness. He just went there to get away from the tragedy that is Guyana.
He is the leader of a soon to be guyanese populace in exile….
if not already, so it’s ligit visits to his constituents.
Icannot agree with you more mr Ram.these are wasteless and useless trips indeed.
For real, what exactly did the President’s New York visit to attend a Queens agricultural investment seminar yield? Someone said tha a wealthy Queens-based Guyanese realtor purchased the staff compound of a sugar estate, so is this on eof the benefits?
What did his presence and spech in Poland on climate change yield? He was seeking $580M US a year to avoid deforestation, but came away empty-handed. Does this mean his ‘firewall’ went up in flames?
What will this MidEast trip yield? Oh, I can see the MidEast sending teams of officials to talk about investments, but didn’t the Burnham regime also have such MidEast investment deals? What’s the outcome?
Guyanese are actually seeing first hand that this guy has no real vision or long-term plan for Guyana, and is actually making up stuff as he goes along.
Pan handling at the highest level. They would run around all over looking for “soft loan” and “zakaat”. Ferouz is his passport.
RL
MR RAM i agree with you .This president does not have no idea what his plans will be for guyana in the distance future the ppl of guyana are suffering and the president of guyana is not doing his job. I don’t see the ppp government or the pnc government taking guyana to a next level that will better the ppl of guyana we need changes and real fast we need a non racial party where we(all six races) can work togethor for a better future.