Dear Editor,
My experiences with politicians have led me to a realization that the public mood which attempts to offer a character profile of political leaders is not entirely based on their works, but rather on the anxieties of collective expectations. David Granger took office in 2012, two years seven months ago, and the composition of this 10th Parliament has evolved a public awareness which never resonated before. I have friends and colleagues who have now realised that we have a part-time Parliament, However the expectations are tremendous; the consensus is that the mediocrity and arrogance of the PPP has become too much and any radical change would suffice. I too at times share such beliefs, despite being aware of the OAS treaties we have signed.
The fact is that we are finding it difficult to live under the PPP and anxieties are high; hundreds sleep on the pavements; our youths are out of jobs; drugs have infiltrated our schools; murder is commonplace; our prisons are overwhelmed and so are our medical facilities. The dishonesty and lack of public concern by this administration are deplorable because they are chronic, and our environment is filthy and a breeding ground any disease. Therefore, we want them removed for continuing to make ‘human’ Guyana unliveable, except for their own children and relatives.
But the constitution holds the vision of the joint opposition from materialising.
a) They cannot initiate projects; This has to come from government.
b) They cannot amend the constitution without PPP support in Parliament. President Ramotar refuses to assent to Bills passed in Parliament to make our lives better, unless the PPP agrees, so the misery continues.
c) Mr Jagdeo was the worst president since Independence yet his PPP buddies granted him a pension and monthly perks that can pay the salaries of the teachers in Georgetown monthly. What a shameless rip-off.
The opposition supporters and especially the voting delegates must understand that there are flaws within our ranks also; there will always be prima donnas and Brutus’s who will follow their own mirages, and at our expense find their particular oasis. I can remember between 2002-06 Mr Corbin found it necessary at a convenient point to take to the streets with a protest, and when a particular comrade was asked to help organize, the comrade responded “What is in it for me?” The passion for power for power’s sake is not exclusive to the still-culture shocked PPP. So watch for the sudden ‘funny money.’
The vigilance of the joint opposition will return this country to its working class, but we must be aware that certain businesses are allowed to indulge in illegalities so they can make political financial contributions. One PPP effort that is discussed is the financing of a political mole in the decision-making body of the PNC. The PNC delegates have to be vigilant; they know that David Granger, Basil Williams, Carl Greenidge, Volda Lawrence, Ronald Bulkan and others will not have a secret envelope dropped off at their homes or at some secret place, but they are not everyone. The coming congress can produce a crack in the APNU-PNC armour if due diligence is not applied, and the anticipated mob emotions fuelled by our daily struggles get the better of those delegates. David Granger must remain the rational head of the PNC so that APNU with the AFC can ensure the enforcement aspect of the anti-money laundering bill that Guyana was warned about in 2011, and Mr Jagdeo, expecting his landslide victory, intended to do nothing about. This country has to be returned to all the people of Guyana, and whoever the DEA wants we say ‘bon voyage’ to; so, with one mind, the struggle continues.
Yours faithfully,
Barrington Braithwaite
