On the stroke of midnight and way into the wee hours of today, many persons would have been singing the traditional ‘Auld Lang Syne’. The offering of ‘Happy New Year’ wishes will no doubt go on for the rest of the day, maybe even longer. The meaningless tradition of making the same resolutions that have been made for years and then broken would quite likely have been executed and in fine style.
However and wherever the dawning of 2015 is ‘celebrated’, like every other ‘New Year’ it would tend to involve some introspection; a reflection on the past year and a looking ahead to the new one. 2014 had rolled in with very high expectations. In his New Year message to the nation a year ago, President Donald Ramotar had called for everyone to work together. The President said in his speech: “We will continue to encourage dialogue, debates and consultations with all stakeholders, including the people in the communities.” That has not happened.
He had said too that in 2014 he hopes to conscript social and religious organisations in the fight against domestic violence. “I believe that these organisations should play a lead role in addressing these concerns and I wish to incorporate them to reduce this terrible scourge,” he said. There was absolutely no initiative taken by the Office of the President in this regard, even as women continued to be maimed and murdered throughout the year as a result of intimate partner violence.
In his speech, too, President Ramotar had referred to the tourism sector, which he said promised to be a major contributor in the future given Guyana’s unique tourism product and given the significant investments being made in the sector. He had said too that “the opening of the Marriott Hotel this year” will “dramatically increase capacity and raise standards” in the sector. None of this has occurred. In fact, in May, the Tourism and Hospitality Association bemoaned government’s continued rhetoric and the high taxes that beleaguer the sector.
Apart from the President’s unfulfilled promises, was 2014 the year anyone expected it to be? Readers can be the judges of that.
In January, massive flooding in the city saw several schools unable to open. It happened again in November, despite the much touted and photo-oped ‘Clean up the Country’ campaign, which when completed would have cost taxpayers $1 billion ($500 million had been earmarked for Georgetown). January was also the month when the Colwyn Harding alleged baton rape came to light; Ganga Persaud made history as the first Guyanese government minister to resign and Manzoor Nadir sought to belittle the struggle of ordinary people with his fictional ‘Sunday morning market basket.’
In February, water returned to the city in the form of spring tides washing over the seawall and flooding north Georgetown communities with salt water. UK-based Justice Rabi Sukul was sworn in and out as a Justice of Appeal, former president Bharrat Jagdeo was flown to the US for medical treatment and Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh ran a car overboard in Campbellville injuring two people. Claims that he was driving under the influence of alcohol were dismissed and the minister was never charged. Kwasi ‘Ace’ Edmondson won the Carib Soca Monarch title with ‘Still in the Game.’
In March, a US$10 million major revamp of the University of Guyana was announced. A $220 billion national budget was unveiled and the spectre of blacklisting began to loom over the non-passage of the Anti-Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill.
In April, Stabroek News announced the start of its campaign to pressure the government to call local government elections. Former crime chief Seelall Persaud was sworn in as the new acting Commissioner of Police. Some $37 billion was cut from the budget and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon announced that he has cancer.
The Commission of Inquiry into Walter Rodney’s death opened in May. The government called a halt to the USAID-sponsored LEAD project and chikungunya arrived in Guyana.
It was in June that the President first hinted that elections might be called early; this was in relation to the AML bill not being passed. Private schools swept the top spots when the National Grade Six Assessment results were announced, Guyana remained on the human trafficking watch list and the LEAD project was cleared to continue. AFC’s Moses Nagamootoo hinted that a no-confidence motion could be brought against the government.
In July, a preliminary disclosure of the 2012 census results pointed to a dip in the population. It was also the month of the infamous ‘feral blast’ at the outgoing US envoy by Education Minister Priya Manickchand. A hike in UG fees was announced and Opposition Leader David Granger was returned as PNCR leader.
In August the AFC filed its no-confidence motion and Queen’s College student Elisa Hamilton topped the country and the region at the CSEC exams.
The World Health Organisation named Guyana as the country with the worst suicide rate in the world in September. The historic Umana Yana was destroyed in a fire, APNU announced start of protests for local government polls after President Ramotar ignored Mr Granger’s ultimatum, and rape allegations were made against Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman that he denied.
In October, a recording of a telephone conversation between Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Kaieteur News reporter Leonard Gildarie was made public in which the AG was alleged to have made threats and attempted to procure a female reporter for a relative.
In November, the President prorogued Parliament.
In December, President Ramotar announced that new general elections would be held on a date to be announced.
2015 is likely to be an election year. What else can we expect? Only time will tell. In the meantime, Happy New Year!
