Dear Editor,
I respected Dr Suresh Narine for the work he is doing in IAST. Some queried how he was privileged to get that job, for he is not the only Guyanese capable of doing it. But ever since I saw that he was doing a creditable job, I advised critics to be thankful.
Now by his letter in SN (‘Was the opposition behaving responsibly when IAST became a victim of “collateral damage,’” April 23) berating the opposition we see how indeed privileged he was. Surely he must remember that the majority opposition had asked for consultations with the government long before the budget, but they were stubbornly ignored. So it is the government which orchestrated the failure and the “collateral damage” by invidiously lumping dubious and genuine projects together.
Any man can suffer a lapse of judgement at such a disappointment. I remember the many project funding disappointments over the years while at UG, of no less importance to the work of my colleagues and I for the development of Guyana, but I knew who was responsible. Welcome to the taste of an unprivileged reality, Dr Narine! In our case we had to apply for funding on merit, and the money did not come. He should be thankful that he did not have to endure the years of frustration we did.
And now to show that he merits the respect we accord him, would he please apologise to the opposition and direct his fulminations to the real culprit, the government.
Yours faithfully,
Alfred Bhulai
