Mr. President there is need for your intervention in this industry to ease the suffering of the people

Dear Editor,

The Government is seemingly being ‘careless’ with one of the largest, most politically sensitive industries in the country – sugar – and in some instances, unnecessarily so. There are somethings happening in this industry that need to be addressed by possibly the highest authority in the country. The Government won the last election by less than 5,000 votes and this industry has thousands of people who are affected in one way or another, both the PPP/C and the APNU+AFC supporters alike. Many of whom are not overtly saying anything because many Guyanese are culturally ‘high context’ and are ‘settlers’ but nevertheless, they have learnt since 2011, to use their votes to speak for them.

I remember in 2012 or 2013, I was talking to one of the then Opposition members who said to me that one of his concerns with the PPP/C government was that there is a class system that is being developed and the distance between ‘this class’ and the ordinary people was widening and that he was afraid that if it is allowed to continue, the ordinary citizens will suffer.

I remember writing a letter to the press recently asking the question, whether all of our leaders are the same? What was amazing about that letter; was the amount of people who contacted me to say that I was expressing their frustrations and to thank me. One person even said to me that they have to apologise to the PPP/C because they thought that it was the PPP/C that was the problem but they now realize that it’s about people. You give people power without strict measures for accountability and you end up with what the PPP/C government had become and what this Government is swiftly becoming.

In 2011 the PPP/C administration had become a minority Government, largely because many of its supporters did not turn out to vote, I presumed that they were disappointed with the administration’s way of governing. One of the then Ministers in a television programme, almost blamed the people for the results of the election. I wonder what this Government will say when people do not show up to vote.

 It took the PPP/C about 13 – 15 years to really become, what we say in Guyana, ‘don’t care”; but after 3 years, some of the things that are happening in this Government, it is almost like people don’t care already. I cannot help asking whether some persons are convinced that this Government will be a one-term Government, so they have to grab as much as they can grab. Or is it that they do not care about the Government and the people but only the opportunities which are made available to them. For some people, for too many in the Government, it is all about the money, Government is a business, but why is the Government/President allowing it? It is unexplainable.

I learnt that there is a ‘Beach Party’ on Friday 28 September, 2018 in this large industry and many of the Ministers will be in attendance in their SUV’s and their beach wear to celebrate this great achievement in improving the pool, while thousands of people/families are affected.

The Government needs to get its priorities right; some Ministers need to get their priority right! Why would the Government continue to let a few persons in this industry railroad the intent and purpose of the Government is beyond comprehension. I wait to see the Ministers who will show up in their beach wear instead of going into the affected communities and meeting with persons who are anxious about their future livelihood.

I remember in 2015, there was a sign on Camp Street and North Road with the faces of President Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and the sign read ‘Vote for righteous’. Did the Government deceive the people of this country?

 I remember when President Granger was giving his first speech at the APNU Elections Headquarters, thousands of people were in the streets, and they were shouting ‘Grangeeeeeeeeeeeer’, ‘Grangeeeeeeeeeeeeer’. I remember in May, 2015 at the President’s Swearing-In ceremony at the Parliament Building, again the people were shouting ‘Grangeeeeeeer’, ‘Grangeeeeeer’. I remember, the euphoria, the expectation, the hope. The atmosphere was filled with new hope and which I totally understand; the PPP/C had been in  Government for 23 years and this was a change.

I turned to Dr. David Hinds and asked what he would make of all of this that was happening, his response to me was, ‘we have to put meaning to this’. I want to remind this Government that many Guyanese voted for righteous and righteous they will have!

What some persons in the Government need to understand is that they will not get away with many of the wrongs which the PPP/C got away with because this is a new season, a season of greater accountability. The same yardstick that this Government is using to judge the PPP/C will be used to judge them, hence the need to be more circumspect.

Today, I repeat the call from the crowds in Queenstown, in front of the Parliament Building and at the Stadium in May 2015, ‘Grangeeeeeeeeeeer’, ‘Grangeeeeeeeeeeer’. Mr. President there is need for your intervention in one of the largest industries. For some people their sole intent is to get rich off of this industry and on the backs of the many who are suffering.

Yours faithfully,

Citizen Audreyanna Thomas