Dear Editor,
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo has become a household name since he rescued a 31-year-old woman from Richmond New Housing Scheme. The matter was brought to his attention while he was meeting with members of the public at Eliza, Unity Park, by a civic minded citizen of the same village. Essequibians love the way he acted swiftly in rescuing the mentally challenged woman; every village I travelled through where I talked with people they had high praise for the Prime Minister.
I have been following his tour around the country with Minister of State Joseph Harmon, meeting and talking with people and solving their problems on the spot. One case in point I remember is meeting with residents in the Rupununi and sharing out house lots on the spot with the lottery system. These were people who had applied for a house lot over a period of 10 years and couldn’t get one; they had lost all hopes. They became excited that day when they were allotted a lot. This is how ministers of the government should do their jobs.
Aurora, Essequibo is a PPP stronghold, but the people, mostly of Indian origin, greeted the Prime Minister and Minister of State with open arms. One former PPP member of parliament endorsed the APNU+AFC coalition and pledged to work with the government of the day. Minister Harmon handed over a cheque so the village can now have street lights for the first time. The PPP had neglected this stronghold for 23 years.
What we are seeing more and more is that people are embracing change, regardless of their political affiliation. They realize that the country needs to move forward so they are putting their differences aside. In the past you couldn’t see a PPP MP or stalwart attending a meeting with another party or government. This is an indication that people want development for the country and their village.
People know that we cannot move this country forward if we remain fundamentally divided. Prime Minister Nagamootoo and Minister Harmon should now move on to places like Moruka and the North West District with their outreach, and listen to the people’s problems there and try to solve them on the spot. The people in these areas have many problems; their roads are in a deplorable condition, and they need turnkey houses like the people in the city. They are endowed with extensive and rich agricultural lands which can make the expansion of the agricultural sector one of the main planks of our development strategy.
These two men have become well known around the country with the good work they are doing, and if they keep it up at this rate, I see the government occupying office for a very long time. They are seasoned politicians and know how to get their work done; people want more action than talking, and they can deliver the goods.
The tactics of the APNU+AFC have proved correct in practice. Those who criticized the AFC for teaming up with APNU for contesting the elections now admit that it was right. By coalescing, the leadership has helped to develop the consciousness of the masses. The government has a greater responsibility than an opposition, and President David Granger and Prime Minister Nagamootoo know this, simply because they are the government and have the vehicles of power which can take Guyana into this new millennium with all the prospects of development.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
