Dear Editor,
As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2012, there are many important issues still facing the nation. One only has to check the blogosphere to see that the rhetoric has intensified and the natives are getting restless. To date President Ramotar has not presented to the nation a legislative agenda. Parliament has met less than a dozen times and many key constitutional appointments are still held by acting appointees. The wave of excitement and anxiety that was palpable after last year’s election, has now given way to anger and apathy as Guyanese resign themselves to “more of the same.”
The President’s commission on tax reform has been meeting for over two months and the public is waiting anxiously for an initial report. As the old saying goes; “the grass growing while the horse starves…” for as these deliberations proceed at a snail’s pace, the taxpayers continue to be saddled by an exorbitant Value Added Tax. Wages and salaries for public sector employees continue to be ignored, and workers rights are eroded every day by a government that is hostile to their unions. The challenges associated with the sugar industry are brushed under the proverbial rug, as political expediency takes precedence over economic reality. The people of Region Ten are still without an alternative to the government controlled NCN, and the taxpayer funded state media continues to serve as a propaganda arm of the ruling party. This PPP/C administration will be the third one, without an Ombudsman, and the position of Chief Justice is stilled to be filled with a substantive appointee. The Commissioner of Police is past the retirement age and on leave pending the outcome of rape allegations and the Ministry of Home Affairs is involved in yet another scandal.
Mr. Editor these are some of the basic bread and butter issues that could have been addressed by the stroke of a pen by the President of the Republic. All that is needed for the people of Region Ten to have a wider variety of TV viewing is for an order to be given to the National Frequency Management Unit. This President can also bring an end to his party’s anti working class, anti public service, stance and order that the Public Service Appellate Tribunal be reconstituted; it has not met for over a decade, its absence can only be interpreted as a strategy to oppress the Guyanese public servant. The Commissioner of Police Henry Greene currently serves at the pleasure of the President and can be removed by him. The Judiciary is an integral arm of our democracy and deserves no less than a substantive Chief Justice. VAT can be tabled for reduction or modification before the parliament by the Minister of Finance acting on orders from the executive. One must ask why these things have not been done, when all can be accomplished by executive order.
With Guyana on the brink of joining the ranks of petroleum producing nations, and international mining companies preparing to exploit our mineral resources, now is the time for a responsible government to address the disparities that separate us as a people. Already the gap between the very rich that is predominantly East Indian and the very poor which represent all races (including Indians) is astronomical. Africans and other ethnicities that are now selectively excluded from positions of power must be brought back to the table. Trade Unions not sympathetic to the government must be made whole, and the government must seek to enact policies that float all boats. The 12 years of Jagdeo rule and the previous 8 years have seen an unfair distribution of our national wealth. All across the nation and especially in the hinterland and along the coast and banks of the major rivers of Guyana, the economic wealth has not trickled down to the working man and woman. Places like Plastic City on the West Demerara and Sophia on the East Coast, where poor Africans and Indians are forced to exist in filthy sub-human conditions should be an embarrassment to any decent government. The poor condition of our University; our national health care delivery system, and our lack of attention to the basics like solid waste management and interlocking suburban drainage and irrigation are issues that are desperately in need of immediate attention as we approach the second quarter of 2012.
Editor these are some of the issues that face the nation and have been a part of our national conversation for quite some time. From where I sit it is clear that money is not the problem, but instead a paucity of leadership at all levels of our society. It is time for us (the taxpayers) to get a return on our national investment; we pay our leaders to serve us and we continue to be badly underserved, disrespected and maligned. Something has to give!
Yours faithfully,
Mark Archer
