Dear Editor,
“You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time” – Abraham Lincoln
We welcome the announcement by the Caretaker Government of salary increases for 2019. In displaying their usual acts of desperation of what should have been a routine administrative matter handled by the Minister of Finance and his staff, this act was elevated to a level that warranted an address to the nation by Mr. Granger. Pure politicking. Public servants welcome the increase but detest being insulted by the accompanying politics as if they are for sale. The PPP/C, a party with established working class credentials known for its history of budget measures that are pro-poor, pro-worker and pro-development will never deny workers increases in benefits and enhancement of their welfare.
Now that the political ad of 6 minutes and 8 seconds paid for with taxpayers money, guised as an address to the nation is over, and the bubble has been burst and the buzz has ceased, it’s time for reality. Editor, I use this opportunity to educate and inform all Guyanese that these sums that were announced in the middle of a charged political season since the passage of the No-Confidence Vote of December 18, 2018 cannot be considered a goodwill gesture by this administration. The truth be told that had this Fallen Government been responsive and possess the ability to be truthful and transparent, they would have answered the questions truthfully and factually and all Guyanese would have known that when the 2019 Budget was passed in December of 2018, these now announced increases were budgeted and catered for. We in the PPP/C knew that the sums allocated would have led to these salary increases as announced being used as a political gimmick in the run up to the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
An intelligent and highly analytical and politically astute electorate cannot be bought in such a fashion; the people of Guyana are seeing this for what it is. I remind all that this Granger-led administration has harmed Guyana economically with its ill-advised and insensitive introduction of measures that took away disposable income from the ordinary man. For example, putting VAT on data services, VAT on electricity and water, VAT on heavy duty machinery affecting forestry, mining and agriculture, VAT on manufacturing and on exports and the list goes on. So when one compares the proportion of additional revenues received by this defeated Government and what it will cost to sustainably finance these increases, the citizens are at a disadvantage. Taking more, giving less. Why the hullabaloo?
We in the PPP/C publicly commit to not only ensuring continuous salary increases on an annualized basis as we would have done over the 23 years while we were tasked with the governance of Guyana, but we will reverse all of the hardship measures including the 200 taxes, fees and charges, including land rentals and drainage and irrigation fees that have negatively impacted all. So, we will ensure that our public servants, our teachers, our nurses and doctors, our farmers, foresters, miners, all benefit from increased emoluments and an improvement in their livelihoods. And while taking care of these, we will continue to advance measures that will stimulate business and expand employment and also encourage entrepreneurship. Our men and women of the joint services can expect the restoration of their one-month tax-free bonus that was taken away by the APNU+AFC.
Guyana stands to be better with a PPP/C Government in 2020.
Yours faithfully,
Bishop Juan Edghill
PPP/C MP
