Dear Editor,
December 21st, 2018 will certainly go down as one of the most important dates in the history of this country. It is the first time that a successful “No-Confidence” motion was ever passed in the National Assembly. It was however not the first that was tabled.
The first one was put by the Alliance for Change against the PPP/C administration in 2014. I as President had prorogued the National Assembly to give space to open some talks with the APNU and the AFC.
The opposition parties had rejected talks and even used the act of prorogation as a negative. They orchestrated a campaign to make it appear that the lawful, constitutional act was dictatorial.
The PPP/C administration, having seen that the two parties had no interest in talking, decided to call the national elections itself.
In this case on Friday, the APNU+AFC regime decided to contest it.
The major difference in the two cases is interesting to note. The people in Guyana had not lost confidence in the PPP/C administration. The country was recording positive economic growth, even though the APNU and AFC tried everything to frustrate its developmental plans. Unemployment was low, social services were at a high level and Guyana had moved from being a HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Country) to a Middle Income Developing country.
It is a totally different atmosphere that faced the PNC-led APNU+AFC regime.
In the first place, the two parties in government discredited themselves by abandoning almost all their manifesto and campaign promises of 2015. Every social and class group felt the brunt of this administration’s actions.
Clearly, this group was elitists in nature and was totally reckless in the handling of government.
Immediately on taking office they gave themselves huge increases in salaries and allowances.
Their reckless spending and hare-brained schemes resulted in billions being wasted or siphoned off. Accountability took a serious beating: the D’Urban Park fiasco, the Drug Bond, the growing increase in the cost of the airport. The final product is inferior to the original which they had so heavily criticised.
The incompetence was also overbearing. The agreement signed with ExxonMobil is considered by experts to be the worst ever.
What was also exposed was the lies and slander they used, while in opposition, against the PPP/C officials. Their performance, their own investigation, showed how much they exaggerated corruption.
The onslaught against working people also took a toll. Around thirty thousand workers in sugar, fisheries, forestry, etc have lost their jobs.
They treated teachers, as other workers, disrespectfully.
Business people were treated like thieves. Their containers were subjected to 100% checks every time. Costs were pushed up.
To pay for their excesses the regime instituted more than two hundred new taxes. But that was not all.
They also took away many benefits from people so they could finance their lavish lifestyle. Concessions to pensioners, students, businesses, farmers, miners were withdrawn.
All those things brought on real hardships on people as they suffered heavy welfare losses.
The dissatisfaction of the people was registered at the last Local Government Elections. The people voted against them and stayed away from the polls.
The regime squandered the sympathy of the people, they lost an opportunity to build on what they inherited. Instead of building on the solid foundations they tore down the structures and damaged the economic foundation.
The PPP/C recognised this and picked the right moment to put forward a no-confidence motion. They were really reflecting the sentiments of the masses.
In a brief comment to the press on December 21st, Charrandas Persaud expressed all those disappointments. His “yes” vote is a reflection of the overwhelming view of most Guyanese.
Yours faithfully,
Donald Ramotar
Former President
