Dear Editor,
As regional and general elections are in the air, Berbicians are once more beginning to get the political circus that normally comes around only when there is need for votes. Over the past seven days there have been a number of live television programmes on NCN Ch15 Berbice, DTV Ch 8 and LRTVS Ch10 called ‘In Perspective’ hosted by Christopher Holder and Michael Itwaru, with the guest being Prime Minister Samuel Hinds. Mr Itwaru is the PRO of the Berbice Regional Health Authority but now seems to be into the political circus of the PPP/C, while Mr Holder is said to be an independent television host. My question to the Prime Minister and his administration is, who is paying for these programmes and the host? I do hope it is not the taxpayers.
Now in all three programmes both the host and the Prime Minister seemed to be out of touch with what’s happening in Guyana, because not an intelligent conversation was had on the serious issues facing Berbicians, especially in relation to the sugar industry, the rice industry, education, health, sports, the Berbice Bridge toll, employment, etc. All the programme was concerned about was how to get back the votes the PPP/C lost at the last elections.
On Wednesday, August 13, I had the opportunity to call in and talk with the Prime Minister and also ask him a few questions. I told him that while the government is talking of development he must tell the nation at what cost it is coming. I told him that all he and his party are referring to is the 28 years of the PNC, but that we are still living under the dictatorship of the PNC because the PPP/C is enjoying the Burnham constitution, which lends to dictatorship.
I went on to say that Guyana is going nowhere because we cannot count on development and the cost of living is on the rise every single day while there are hardly employment opportunities available.
I spoke of the sugar industry, and asked the Prime Minister how a government could plug monies every year into a company that is dying and failing the nation? How can a company that owes almost $58 billion recover when it is not making any profit? How can the PPP/C government continue to fool the workers by targeting them to be used for protests when the industry is failing?
To my amazement the Prime Minister in his response was very weak about what I had asked and his response was that I should remember long ago there were only Nokia phones, and after that lots of other brands came out, so there is always change. I fully understand what he meant but why doesn’t he want to come clean and be honest instead of diverting to make Berbicians feel that there is a future for the industry.
I understand what he was saying in his political style, and that the industry needs to diversify, where other things like ethanol, etc, come into play, because sugar will not survive.
But he had the guts to say that under the PPP/C government the sugar industry would never fail. I think maybe he is with Alice in Wonderland.
On August 15, on LRTVS the host Mr Itwaru posed a question to the Prime Minister asking him if he thinks that the AFC has served its purpose since they entered politics in Guyana. The Prime Minister’s response was that no third party can make it in this country because there have been only two parties and the people need to stick with the PPP/C, because that is how politics in Guyana is; it can be considered a race game since the ’50s and ’60s and up to today, so people need to stick with the PPP/C.
Well I have news for the Prime Minister and the PPP/C because since the formation of the AFC the PPP/C started to get fever, and since the AFC entered politics we have heard a lot about the corruption which is going on. We saw the amount of monies that are being misused, we saw the bad works being done, we saw the friends and contacts of this government becoming richer, we saw the lack of representation for all workers, etc. So the AFC as a third party has done a lot. The AFC is a third party but it has the guts to stand up against this dictatorship and tell them to their faces that the AFC and the people of Guyana have no confidence in them. The AFC is the only party in the country that will take away ethnic voting and the AFC has the strongest and brightest minds in Guyanese politics today with the likes of Khemraj Ramjattan, Nigel Hughes, Moses Nagamootoo, David Patterson, Dominic Gaskin, Cathy Hughes, Dr Veerasammy Ramayya, Trevor Willams, Marcello, Valerie Lowe, Charrandass Persaud – and I could go on.
Berbicians understand the circus which comes around, but will not be led astray and our people will fight for the cause of justice and accountability at all times.
Yours faithfully,
Abel Seetaram
Chaiman
AFC RMC Region 5
