Dear Editor,
There is a thin red line between the burdens of being in the government as against those burdens faced by opposition forces because governing this country is not an easy task, even in the best of circumstances, and therefore, we all have to work together, in facing new challenges. Ask President Jagdeo and he will verify that the problems of housing alone are headaches and the political pressures from inside the PPP (not to mention the opposition and the complaints of regular folks) probably are enough to drive a leader into a mental meltdown. Add all the other problems a political leader faces: budget management, cabinet management, unemployment, inflation, health and education etc, and one wonders why a politician would want to take on all these burdens.
People criticize President Jagdeo for a lot of things and I count myself as one of those, especially since I have no intention of curtailing my criticism of his administration, when necessary. For example, his low threshold of tolerance for our free press and TV media; his lack of sensitivity to the Opposition; his lack of vision in increasing foreign investment and trade; his micro-management style; his placement of “square pegs in round holes”; his use of extra-parliamentary means to force his will and other numerous fulminations. No matter who is in power, there will always be those who will find fault in policies and practices. Look at President Obama’s latest polls which show growing criticism even though the situation facing him is really complicated and not easily solved. In Guyana, President Jagdeo has faced problems which could overcome anyone who might be leader of this nation.
But what about us and not him; what about our culture undermined by disorder, chaos and disregard for our brethren. Just look at some of our mini-bus drivers and their frequent disasters which racing-car drivers at professional tracks don’t have. Just look at grown men urinating in public, in front of our wives and children, passing a message of brutishness to our society. Just look at the private sector where some businesses have little regard for customers while breaking laws, regulations and statutes and racking up huge profits but not paying back to society their “fair share”. Just look at the racialism living inside of us, even though we live together and breathe the same air, share the same water and enjoy God’s good graces; we would barely accept that in reality. He placed the racial issue before us to test our resolve, courage and resourcefulness to reject such a Satanic concept. Just look at our newspapers, some of which, only try to pull down and tear apart instead of giving the truth and propagating the real facts and figures; some of them pandering to the public with sensationalism and irresponsible reporting with columnists tearing everyone apart and causing confusion. Just look at the multitude of so-called preachers, milking the regular folks for the little that’s left over from meagre paychecks, promising deliverance and heaven around the corner, while sowing confusion and false hopes. Just look at those among our population who don’t even understand the work ethic and just wait for a hand-out from abroad; able-bodied persons who rather beg than find a job; drugged out persons who rather steal than work; criminals who kill even though it’s not necessary. Just look at the opposition parties, disunited in a common purpose for “shared governance” and unable to contribute to a united effort to help our people find new ways to advance their lives; unable to sway this government in its determination to maintain majority rule, which, as Mahatma Gandhi said, is vile and unholy and never works.
So, Editor, as Mr. Jagdeo has the next two years to leave his mark, since the PPP hierarchy has made it clear that there will be no third term for him (PPP supporters had no say), let us try to give him the benefit of the doubt, the leeway to manipulate needed changes and the respect his office demands; while we, the people, can “look in the mirror” and see our own intrinsic weaknesses and not just that of our President and his administration. Editor, a nation cannot face the world in a state of disunity and division, with constant bickering and vitriolic disagreements; instead, we, as a nation have to come to grips with the racial, class and religious differences which exist in our country and which have made us weaker; in fact, these differences should have made us stronger through diversity, common heritage (Guyanism) and one love for all.
Mr. Jagdeo has taken up the challenge of leadership, even though a young man, and has accomplished enough for all of us to appreciate a “decent innings’ and as the curtain falls on his stewardship of this nation, I, who have been a constant and vocal critic of his administration, would like to publicly thank the President of Guyana for trying to place Guyana in world focus; for trying to move party paramountcy out of government service; and for the inroads he has made in fixing our broken-down infrastructure, even though more could have been done with the time and money at hand. Hopefully, in the next two years of his Presidency, Mr.Jagdeo will tend to his nation, not as a PPP politician, but as a statesman dedicated to leaving a legacy of care to the most destitute of our people; to the old and infirm and to our youth who have the future in the palms of their hands; and to the concept that the years of struggle and sacrifice by our forefathers was not in vain.
God bless our President, and may he continue, after his term is over, to contribute to the betterment of our dear country through the experience and knowledge he has accumulated.
Yours faithfully,
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr.)
Add all the other problems a political leader faces: budget management, cabinet management, unemployment, inflation, health and education etc, and one wonders why a politician would want to take on all these burdens.
THEY ALL….ALL..AND I MEAN ALL…TAKE IT BECAUSE DE PERKS TOO GOOD::::
THEY ALL TAKE IT BECAUSE NO ONE THERE TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE::::
THEY ALL TAKE IT TO DO EXACTLY WHAT THE SO CALL LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD DOES::LOOK AROUND YOU..YOU WILL SEE WHAT IM SAYING:::IS TRUE:
TAX DOLLARS PAYS FOR EVERYTHING FOR THEM:SO NO SWEAT:::
IF YOU GET IN YOU DO DE SAME::::
grown men urinating in public IS Jagdoe falt….i like duh..i really like duh…eeheheheheheheh
dats de only reason we mus dash e out…no other reason…..
… provided the mirror is perfectly flat and does not have cracks that will distort the reflection. Well, there is one big weakness Guyanes have. WE DUMP TRASH ALL OVER THE PLACE! On the road. On the streets. On the parapet. In the drainage canals. Out de minibus window. Anywhere you look is just TRASH and STINKINESS all over the place.
Yo Hackett, tell them that in order to become a good leader, mind you now, I’m not talking about a great leader, one must first know and understand the behavior, attitudes and morals of the people who will be following and why. Nobody has ever successfully changed an insensitive wayward people, so it’s the leadership who must make the adjustments.
Your family and friends don’t normally bequeath Public Service leadership upon any of their underlings, rather, the individual in question must initiate this sacred vow to Public Service by himself alone.
Stop complaining about Jagdoe’s leadership failings, these are what maketh this man. Jump high or jump low, he accepted the job of President by swearing on the Bible to faithfully honor, obey and execute the laws of Guyana and not to break them every time it suits his or the party’s interests. If the President would show fair and balance honesty in his service to all of the people equally, then I’m absolutely sure that all of the people would respond appropriately by rendering assistance for growth.
Another Guyanese weakness. WE MEK TOO MUCH LOUD MUSIC! It’s against the law, yet the law is not enforced. It’s KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM! all over de place. Anytime. Marning, noon, night. From houses. From cars. From de minibuses. From de chuuch.
Get some ear plugs man, and na worry yuself.
Ear plugs don’t insulate against the HEAVY low frequency BASS.
Another weakness is IGNORANT vehicle drivers who know nothing about road rules and safe driving. It’s VROOM, VROOM, VROOM. Most likely they never attended driving lessons and ‘bought’ their books. A driver told me a book ‘costs’ $60,000 now. I thought this ‘buying book’ thing died away in this era. And he was startled when I told him that double yellow lines mean no overtaking from either direction. Another one ovetook a police vehicle over the double yellow line. He ended up at Whim. Another one tailgating a minibus nearly lick me upsided down. My guardian angels wuking over time.
lol, hackett you really humorous today.
Nice letter Joey, but in a family, the head of the home must show leadership. What leadership is Jagdeo showing. He is focused on himself and only himself. I do not have to give him any chance to further mash Guyana and its masses as he job hunt internationally.
Sase, you generally write like a brilliant young man. But you seem to have a beef with President Jagdeo. He is a brilliant young man, too. Ten years ago, when he became President, Guyana was almost unmanageable. Under Mr Jagdeo’s watch, Guyana’s GDP always recorded positive growth, small but positive. The country’s foreign debt burden is far less today than 10 years ago. Health, education and housing sectors have been energized. There are lots of things to give Mr Jagdeo due praise for. But, as Joey Jagan has pointed out, life would have been better if individual Guyanese citizens had conducted themselves more responsibly. I think it’s a fair comment.
The greatest legacy president Jagdeo can leave for the country does not lie in the construction of physical things like the Berbice bridge, Skeldon sugar factory etc, but institutions than can contribute to peace, stability and health of the people.
EXAMPLES
(1) Clean drinking water. End dependency on filtered water. (Currently every household has to spend $2.50 a day for a 10-gallon of filtered water; average daily wage is $10)
(2) Use his influence to nominate and elect an African leader of the PPP to succeed him. The founder-leader of the party, Cheddi Jagan was always concerned about the party not be perceived as Indo-ethnic. This singular idea will contribute more than anything else to transform the image of the PPP as well as help Guyana to evolve into a genuine multiracial democracy. It will also contribute to political stability of the country. This idea if implemented will also provide insurance against the outbreaks of ethnic violence, political unrest and riots etc.
(3) We need a mosquito control regime in the country similar to what the colonial govt. had. The whole country is a veritable mosqito-infested swamp. Soon there will be 10,000, then 25,000, then 50,000 malaria-stricken victims in the country.
(4) The police force as an institution has to be rebuilt from scratch – Well trained and equipped to maintain law and order
Elect an African leader of the PPP ? Raj i know you maen well but that is not going to happen . Look at the voting history pal .
Pilot
what about de votin patterns prior to 92????
tell us now ok
we listening…….
ah goin now to gamble on de ponies…
wen ah come back ah want fuh hear about de voting pattern b4 ppp came to power…..
i ent want to hear how is de UK and US governments voted dem in power…de people of guyana…de guyanese people votes back den…..
EE- I want you to place a bet fuh me on ponies: N-4-SAH 1,2 &3…I heard they are turbo charge…and ready to go.ehehehehhe.
swat ….done…
come back tomorrow…fuh anda tip of de day…
did well today man…no complaints..ehehehehe
dont fuget we gat to save guana from de brink come 0-15
ehehehehehehehehehehehhe
De voting patterns ? Vote one time ,vote two times vote vote as much as you want.evle unlike you i do not have a party to defend i call it the way i see it . You dont like it you know what you can do .
Hey Joey:
Talk about ’square pegs in round holes’- remember when Barney(Johnson?), a tout at Metropole Cinema’s pit area was made Principal/Headmaster of a school at Monkey Mountain?
As an aside-Barney was famous for something else!!
I’m too SEXY for my mirror…and not to mention my SHIRT.
I have said it before Joey! work towards a National Front Govt. NOW!!! dont wait for 2 weeks to elections
JOEY,. WE ARE VERY GLAD YOU WROTE THIS LETTER, AND WE ARE EVEN MORE ASTONISHED THAT STABROEK HAS PRINTED IT… one could sense all of it has come from the heart,… after a long time you seem to have realised the calibre of PRESIDENT GUYANA WAS LUCKY TO have at that juncture of our political life….JOEY LIKE YOU SAID… the task of nation building has to be done by the citizens of our country with guidance from the leadership… PRES JAGDEO HAS SPENT A SIGNIFICANT PART OF HIS LIFE TRYING TO PROVIDE THAT LEADERSHIP.. WHILE OTHERS have spent the similar period trying to make sure he does not succeed,.. .. .are you appealing to those to give him a chance to succeed ?…SORRY, JOEY… IF THEY HAVE THEIR WAY HE WOULD GET THE SAME TYPE OF CHANCE YOUR ILLUSTRIOUS MOM GOT… thats why PRES. JAG IS A HERO IN MY BOOKS… HE HAS BEEN ABLE TO CONFOUND AND CONFUSE THE LOSERS AND DESTABILISERS… .AND HIS SUCCESSOR WILL HAVE TO DO SAME… don’t expect any let up from the wolf pack.. their goal is unshakeable..even though their tactics might change,… patriotic guyanese must unite, and work around the loosers….. the righteous will eventually win out…. peace to you joey..