Dear Editor,
Like many Guyanese I read the papers every day and listen to the news. As a result I am forced to express my views on the matters affecting us all.
Firstly I would like to point out that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. There is good in the worst of persons and bad in those who are deemed to be good persons.
Secondly when I read some of the comments of the opposition party I get the impression that they know everything that is right and the present government is doing everything that is wrong. In Monday’s Kaieteur News there is a wonderful article which explains the President’s position as it relates to the appointment of judges as recommended by the Judicial Service Commission. The explanation was so simple and logical that it shows how provocative the arguments put forward by the former Attorney General are.
I recognize that this current government like any other government would make mistakes, and there is nothing wrong in pointing out those mistakes so that we could have good and proper government.
Thirdly the way the opposition behaves tends to establish that they are the only political party that can properly take care of the needs of the people of Guyana. Imagine they were in power for over 23 years and are now claiming that this current government which is not yet in power for two years has brought destruction on the sugar industry. Should the majority of Guyana sit back and allow such remarks to go without comment? This is one of the reasons why I am expressing my views because I would like to see Guyana not only prosper but that all Guyanese benefit from its prosperity.
Fourthly, I get the impression from the writings that Forbes Burnham was a wicked man and Dr Cheddi Jagan was the best politician Guyana has ever had. This assertion caused me to look at what Burnham did for Guyana and what Jagan did. Last Friday I had to attend Wales Magistrate’s Court, and when I was returning the Harbour Bridge was closed and as a result the traffic built up on both sides. As the bridge opened and traffic started to proceed from both ends of the bridge, I was surprised to experience that on both sides the traffic was vehicle behind vehicle, and when I arrived on the East Bank of Demerara I discovered that the traffic was still out on the Public Road. I then quietly asked myself, if the bridge did not exist what the traffic situation would have been. It is important for young Guyanese to know that it was Burnham who built the bridge, and one could go on and on.
On the other hand Jagan was responsible for the setting up of the University of Guyana and that was something very good. As I understand the situation, the supreme power to run Guyana lies in the hands of the people. It is for convenience that the people have surrendered their rights and placed them in the hands of the politicians who are selected by the people at general elections, and they are the ones placed to take care of business. Whomsoever the people select will have the power to make laws and run the country during their period in office, and they ought to be given a chance to govern. This is not to say that the opposition does not have a right to ensure that the government in power acts correctly.
My observation is that the opposition does not want to see this current government make progress for a good and green society, because if it succeeds as it appears it is doing, then their chance to get back in government would take years, and they cannot take that so they come up with all sorts of frivolous claims trying to bring down this government.
Christmas is a time for the expression of peace and love and I wish to suggest that the opposition should try to ensure that peace and love prevail at all times, and should assist in making Guyana a better nation and cause strangers to want to associate with it. The opposition has rights like anybody else, but those rights must be properly exercised. It is time that Guyanese try to work together so that all races could benefit.
President Granger should continue his good work. He is the first President in Guyana that I have seen spending Christmas Day visiting the poor and elderly, and ensuring that they have a proper Christmas meal.
Yours faithfully,
Jonas M F Coddett
