Dear Editor,
With the dust on Carifesta settled it is now time for the government and Minister of Culture, Dr Frank Anthony who spearheaded the celebrations to inform Guyanese at a minimum how $500M of taxpayers’ money was spent to make this celebration a reality. Since the government stated that there was no revenue to be had from the celebrations, it must respect Guyanese taxpayers and account to them for how their monies were spent. For too long the government has neglected its responsibility to account to us for every taxpaying dollar it spends. I believe the government’s confidence has grown significantly because we seem to have remained too passive on these matters. I suggest that as citizens we intensify our demand for openness and accountability on the part of those who are responsible for spending our money. Since 1992 Guyanese have been bombarded with the clichè that the PPP/C coming to office is a “return to democracy.” As Guyanese we must seriously ask ourselves whether this return to democracy means non-accountability on the part of the administration; refusal to impartially investigate charges of state torture and refusal even to make what findings it has publicly known; muzzling press freedom; playing politics with matters of the nation’s crime and security (reference the government’s refusal to participate in the US Embassy sponsored conference on security and defence on August 11-14, 2008); political interference in the judiciary; economically strangling ordinary Guyanese with a 16% VAT; defying the rule of law; scant regard for good governance; stifling parliamentary democracy, among other things.
No doubt, in Guyana we need to advocate more for what is right for our society lest we continue to be disregarded and disrespected by those to whom we grant power. It is time we make government understand that we give them power to exercise it justly for us; each of us can be an advocate on our own behalf and for others who might not be in a position to do so for themselves.
More accountability is needed from government and we must demand a report on how the Carifesta $500M was spent; it is our money and we have every right to know. To account for spending is not a favour the government may grant us, but it is a key value and the act of a democratic government.
Yours faithfully,
Lurlene Nestor
