Dear Editor,
As we fast approach Christmas I observe a constant rise in the prices of some basic commodities and the increase in blackouts. Sometimes, I shop for groceries and I have discovered that every single food item is rapidly increasing while the increase in our salaries is just a mere 5%. Government workers are barely making ends meet, while cane-cutters are exploited daily, and the long dismal list in our dog-eat-dog economy continues to make life difficult for the poorer class.
Rice that is produced here that was selling for $450-500 per gallon is now selling for $750-800 per gallon in some places. I used to buy one bag of fine rice for $2000, now that is selling for $3000 per bag and is poorer quality. A bag of starter chicken feed that was selling for $4,300 per bag is now selling in the shops for $5,200. A pound of sugar that was selling for $60-70 is now selling for $100-120 per pound. These basic food items are produced and exported daily, yet the poorer class cannot afford to buy enough rice and sugar because the bills for their home and other expenditure is far more than what they are earning.
Food items such as garlic, onions, paste and split peas have now become a luxury for the poor.
My wife told me today that she bought a pound of garlic for $400 that was previously selling for $180.Sometimes I wonder if some of our shop owners are just robbing and exploiting people. Then we have to pay 16% VAT on almost everything we purchase.
While our people are struggling to put food on their tables our politicians are driving the most expensive Prados and Tundras and are building some of the most modern houses. I personally have observed some of our political leaders eating in some of the most expensive hotels, perhaps paid for by the state.
How can we still live in blackouts and pay light bills that are more than half our salaries? It’s not surprising that bribery and corruption are the order of the day, because our present administration after 18 years in office still cannot correct our electricity problems. Every day hundreds are gathered at GPL’s offices to query huge light bills. Why is that so? It’s because of bad administration.
As Christians celebrate Christmas more and more church services are being held in various churches. How sad it is that in the midst of prayer and worship we are hit by a sudden blackout with foreign guests in our midst.
This country recently hosted a conference with lots of foreign delegates and diplomats but there was no blackout during those conferences.
Why is it that our administrators don’t deal with these blackouts once and for all? They are dealing with it for foreign diplomats but it’s not happening for the Guyanese people. We can no longer fool the world. We must accept one final fact that our political leaders both past and present failed us after 44 years of independence. No wonder the crime rate is rising every day.
We recently saw more than 1400 students graduate from the University of Guyana, but most of them will leave Guyana in search of jobs because our job market has no place for them. I am personally aware of many graduates and intellectuals selling on the pave. Even some cane-cutters have CXCs. Our present administration failed to take Guyana forward into the twenty-first century. Too many qualified Guyanese are migrating to other countries because of better wages and living conditions.
In this day and age, I can see water only three times per week for a few hours; then when all the residents start to pump the water the lines are drained. Why are they pumping water? It’s because the water coming through the pipelines cannot fill up a bucket one foot high.
Most days when the water is coming from GWI we are faced with a blackout, and thus the water will stop coming suddenly.
Yet many of our ministers in government are saying we are just like many of our Caribbean neighbours. Such propaganda is just pure political brainwashing.We have been left behind in the Caribbean and the Western hemisphere.
Our public hospitals have many problems, and the recent deaths of many young mothers give us a clear picture of the number of square pegs in round holes in our medical services.
What we need in Guyana is leadership which has the vision to take Guyana forward into the twenty-first century. We must first deal with wages and salaries. We must create more jobs for the educated and uneducated. We must provide better housing that’s cheaper and more durable.
We must provide a better education system so that every citizen must at least be literate. We need a clean government free from corruption. We need better drainage and irrigation to avoid flooding from just two hours of severe rains. We need a higher pension for the old people so that they can survive comfortably.
What we need is freedom from blackouts so that I can greet you and say “Happy Christmas” and be able to see your face. Finally, we need a new government with a greater vision to develop Guyana. For too long we have voted for failures.
Yours faithfully,
Rev Gideon Cecil
