Observations in an election year

Dear Editor,

I would like to bring to the attention of eligible voters some observations made during this election year. The government raised the income tax threshold by five thousand dollars after no increase for the preceding four years. They also plan to distribute laptops soon and have just announced an increase in salaries for public servants and GuySuCo workers which is higher than in previous years. These are just a few of the political handouts out of a long list that is being used to persuade persons to vote PPP/C. But like the last four elections, after all these political gimmicks the standard of living of the majority of Guyanese remains the same; there is still massive migration, there are no jobs and poverty continues to increase. This is why Guyana remains stagnant forty-five years after Independence.

The ruling party has now intensified its character assassination ploy against any high profile person that joins the AFC. They utilize hours of television coverage, press conferences and even the top story on NCN News to try to denigrate these persons and call them opportunists. But here is the story that takes the cake for someone being opportunistic. The PPP passed in Parliament the Bill to enable President Jagdeo to enjoy exorbitant benefits when he gives up official duties at an earlier age than previous presidents. On Nomination Day the President was asked by the media why he was not on the list of candidates for the PPP/C, and he answered by making a reference to the late President Desmond Hoyte. A few days later Mr Robert Corbin explained that President Hoyte did not receive any pension because the government had argued that he was a Member of Parliament. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what played out here. Are these the type of people who should rule Guyana for another five years? Would Moses Nagamootoo have done this?

Yours faithfully,
R M Khan