Dear Editor,
Without doubt one of the most important professions in the world is politics. More than any other sphere of activity it influences peoples’ lives in a profound way. It is the profession that pulls together all others for the purpose of development of a community or country.
It is, therefore, a very noble endeavour.
Yet few other professions have been more ridiculed than politics. Any bad action by a person is often described as that person acting like a politician. It is not unusual to hear people saying that ‘politics is a dirty game’, or being called very unflattering names, for example: scamp, corrupt, etc.
This has come about because far too many politicians make promises that they had no intention of keeping, or some behave in such a way that one can get the impression that the masses of people are there to serve those in power and not vice versa. Far too many become corrupt with only one purpose, that is personal aggrandizement.
They also abuse power and authority and take advantage on the poor.
Yet politics remains very important in people’s lives. Like all other professions you have decent, principled and upright politicians and you have the power hungry, corrupt and unprincipled elements as well. The sad reality is that there are far too little of the former and much too much of the latter.
One would have let things ride at that had it not been for the devastating effect that immoral politics have on the lives of people in any society.
We in Guyana have both these groups in our body politic. When the most corrupt grab power they do tremendous harm to every aspect of life. We have had experiences with immoral politics and we know the consequences. Unfortunately, the immorality of the past continues to guide those in power today.
In the last elections campaign, the APNU+AFC made many promises that they had absolutely no intention of keeping.
A few examples of this. The two parties promised sugar workers a twenty percent increase in wages and salaries. Public servants were also given rosy promises of sizeable increases. Rice farmers were told that they would get nine thousand dollars a bag for their paddy. Amerindians were promised jobs and lands.
We were told that the VAT would have been reduced to a single digit number.
None of their ‘promises’ were made with the intention of keeping them. It was done to deliberately fool the people to dishonestly obtain their votes.
The APNU+AFC regime is now doing everything, including trampling on our laws and constitution to perpetuate themselves in power.
In doing so they are destroying the independence of our institutions and making a mockery of the law.
The disdain with which the CCJ overturned the decision by the Guyana Court of Appeal on the no confidence motion says quite a lot. It implies that that decision was not based on law, logic or arithmetic.
While that is the latest, there are many other cases that are not being called, heard or not making decisions, the Elections Petition Case challenging the result of the 2015 elections is a good example, it is yet to be heard.
In every democratic society those type of cases are given priority. In the same year, 2015, Kenya and Trinidad had elections that were challenged in the Courts. Those elections were held after ours, yet the cases in the two countries have been heard and ruled on.
In the case of Kenya the court upheld the case brought by the opposition and ordered fresh elections. That was also concluded.
Yet to date Guyana’s case has still not even been called. In the meantime, it is being overtaken by other political developments.
This is a serious body blow to our democracy and an indication of where we are going.
There are other constitutional cases already heard but years after no decision has been handed down by the judges.
This, by the way is breaking the law by judges, since the Ninth National Assembly had passed laws putting time limits to judges for the purpose of giving written decisions when cases are concluded. Many of our judges are ignoring this law. What an example!
The regime is now taking the extra time given it to by delays at GECOM to engage in massive social bribery. Every day plane loads of goods are now being dispatched to the interior with ‘goodies’ in a desperate attempt at mass bribery.
Moreover, the ruling of the CCJ as to the caretaker nature of the regime is totally ignored!
The immorality of these actions is clear. It is setting the lowest standards for our people. This example will fuel corruption into every aspect of our social and economic life. We will not only be confronted by the corruption of the bureaucratic elite but it will seep into every area and the culture of corruption will once more become universal in Guyana.
This APNU+AFC regime has learnt nothing from the previous PNC regime that led the country into bankruptcy and infrastructural ruins. Or maybe it did, but personal power for them is more important than country.
Those in public offices, particularly in independent constitutional offices that are tamely allowing abuse of our people to take place are as guilty as the PNC elite.
Politics must have morality to serve our nation as well.
Yours faithfully,
Donald Ramotar
Former President
