Dear Editor,
In their column appearing in Stabroek News on November 25, Arif Bulkan and Alissa Trotz did very little to discredit the current government. The facts speak for themselves. To begin with, APNU has no concrete plans for governing a country. During their campaign, at a bare minimum whatever they are offering is vague and lacking in sound economic plans for the country – there are no clear goals.
APNU’s entire campaign has been directed to constantly attacking the current government. I am still waiting and eagerly so, to get an understanding of how they can effectively run a country. Are Mr Granger and his team planning to continue the Burhnam-Hoyte legacy which he was part of? When the PNC was in office democracy was unheard of; we lived under a police state. Bash the government and reap the repercussions; citizens were forced to support the regime.
Education which is supposed to be the greatest investment in a nation was marginal. Yes, it was free, but it was of a very low standard; there was a shortage of books and teachers, and the schools were deplorable, just to highlight a few issues. Do Mr Bulkan and Ms Trotz have any memory of these things?
Capitalism was replaced with some form of socialism, and companies that once brought in valuable income such as the sugar industry were nationalized. The whole issue of nationalizing private companies was failure on a grand scale. I challenge anyone to make the comparison and see the difference between then and now; this is not ancient history. Basic infrastructure such as roads, as well as modes of transportation were in a deplorable state. The PNC regime wanted farmers to produce and grow more food; however, basic tools and equipment to do their job were lacking. Restricting and depriving human beings of basic food items not produced locally was the last nail in the coffin for most individuals living in the country at that time. I remember as a young man, instead of spending time on my books and doing the things I enjoyed, I had to join long queues to get basic food items such as salt and cooking oil. How on earth can a nation foster development if its people spend copious amount of their time in long queues for basic food items? Mr Bulkan and Ms Trotz need to stop burying their heads in the sand and see that we have a huge middle class in Guyana now. We are seeing a higher standard of living with the current government in place.
Do we want to go back to those dreadful days of the PNC now APNU? Mr Granger and his party had 28 years to come up with a plan, but it was all built on self interest and taking care of the boys, and not the interest and well-being of the nation.
In the column, references to salaries were made which were highly inaccurate. Most of the wages cited are paid by the private sector which does not have fixed wages for their employees, and most private sector employees enjoy a higher salary than what was reported.
More individuals now own homes, cars and other tangible assets. More individuals now encompassing all ethnicities enjoy land ownership made possible by the government. Yes, the PPP like most governments across the world is not perfect; however, one cannot ignore the reality that the ordinary people have enjoyed and continue to enjoy a higher standard of living
since the PPP took office. So, that is not “the reality for the few” as incorrectly stated by Mr Bulkan and Ms Trotz.
Who has really benefited from the last 19 years” A majority of the people in Guyana. Why argue with success.
Yours faithfully,
Desmond Blair
