Dear Editor,
There is a tendency among some opposition letter writers to blame both the PPP and the PNC for the economic and social problems that the country experienced during the course of its post-colonial history. Some have even gone to ludicrous proportions by asserting that the PPP has outdone the PNC in terms of economic mismanagement and poor governance.
The truth is that the PPP and the PNC are poles apart when it comes to governance and performance. To begin with the PPP was elected to office in democratic elections. The PNC by contrast was foisted on the nation in 1964 through a fiddled constitutional arrangement and thereafter perpetuated itself in government for close to three decades through rigged elections.
At the economic level, the PNC took a once thriving economy and reduced the country to one of the poorest in the western hemisphere. The PPP reversed the economic and social decline and put the economy on a trajectory of sustained growth and development.
At the international level, the country was considered a pariah state in the hemisphere, due to incompetence and authoritarian rule. Under the PPP the international profile of the country has been lifted and the country is today an active player in the community of democratic and free states. In fact, Guyana is no longer considered a Least Developed Country but has now graduated to a More Developed Country status.
These are just a few of the numerous facts to debunk the myth being perpetrated by some opposition elements to, as it were, paint the PPP and the PNC with the same tarbrush.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
