Dear Editor
On Friday, President Barack Obama hands over the reins of government to Mr Donald Trump who now becomes the 45th President of the United States. By every non-partisan measure the performance of President Obama has been a remarkable success. As he strode towards the microphone days ago to say his final farewell to the nation there were shouts of “four more years” from the live audience. The President in his typical display of dry humour dead panned, “Can’t do that.” Mr Obama excelled in the job, and as he departs leaves his nation and the world a better place.
With an economy on the brink of disaster, experiencing undeniably the greatest recession the country had experienced since the Great Depression, he executed a plan for the country which has borne great success. Over his eight years in office the unemployment rate is now under 5%; home values have recovered; and the stock market has gained an incredible 7,000 points. And, yes, how about the controversial Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) which for the first time gives otherwise uninsured millions of Americans the opportunity to secure medical care coverage at a cost they now can afford.
The historic significance of Obama’s ascendancy to high office is known to all. Here in Guyana they embraced his Presidency. On his watch Guyanese have been issued more tourist visas to visit the US, and even when it was necessary to deport some of our men and women for extremely bad conduct, we never held it against his administration, or thought it to be some kind of grandiose plan to rid the country of immigrants.
President Obama kept the country safe from any 911 type attack during his eight years in office, no small feat considering that there must have been numerous plans to up the ante and to prove the country not invincible. He was not paranoid in reaching out to so-called enemies to find common ground for cooperation, and the world is a safer place for him doing so. He received kudos from the Caribbean and Latin American nations for lowering the temperature with Cuba. Compared to eight years ago the respectability quotient of America around the world has accelerated and Obama’s personality and policies have been the direct reason for it.
As President Obama, First Lady Michelle, and daughters Sasha and Malia take their leave of the spotlight, they go with the prayers of the nation and the world. In his farewell speech he promised that he would remain engaged, and we are grateful for this, for his voice in or out of office will always be an important and necessary voice.
Yours faithfully,
Neville George
