Dear Editor,
In a radio programme on Friday, I highlighted what the former Minister of Public Infrastructure, Mr. David Patterson, had cause to point out, in his capacity as the opposition member tasked with speaking on oil and gas issues. What Mr. Patterson articulated was that President Ali’s promised full consultation on local content policy, for some inexplicable reason, left out informing and officially inviting the coalition APNU+AFC. Former Minister Patterson was rather even tempered in publicizing this glaring shortcoming and insult to his party and people; I would have been outraged and sharp.
Well, sharp and critical I was in Friday’s radio offering, because I think that this is happening too often now to give His Excellency, Presi-dent Ali, the benefit of a pass. I think that when he talks of transparency and accountability, and now consultation, he sets out with a limited audience and still more limited agenda in mind. The private sector and other such entities cannot be the fullness of consultation on anything, and which are treated to the courtesy of an invitation to the consultation.
Though I have considerable differences with the modus operandi of the current leadership of the coalition, one and all must never fail to remember that it did gain almost half of the votes that were cast in the dispute filled 2020 elections. In numerical terms that is over 200,000 Guyanese citizens and voters, which is the equivalent of the 80 million plus that are not abandoning the former president of the United States. So, to ignore and insult the representatives of those 200,000 plus voters by not extending an invitation on something as vital as an oil and gas consultation on the sensitive and all-important local policy content(s) is more than unbelievable; it is unpardonable. In view of what happened, and I think that it was deliberate, I cannot help but asking if this is a signal to the large APNU+AFC constituent that whatever it has to say relative to local content does not matter, and will not be considered; due to the fixed position that members of that particular constituency have nothing to expect, less to get from participation in local content policy developments and execution.
Editor, as I consider what occurred in that situation where the coalition people are persona non grata in their own country, I think that something else may be amiss. For I can appreciate that even the best amongst us can have limitations in the comprehensions and interpretations of the English Language. But a head of state has enough people behind him (and this one has an army of them) to not engage in what is deceptive.
As if to furnish confirmation, there came the former Attorney General himself, Mr. Basil Williams SC, to inform us (certainly I am) on the numerous failures to consult with stakeholders on a variety of legislative situations, as required by the constitution. It is for this reason that I came to the conclusion that what the PPP government is doing, under the leadership of President Ali, is to engage in the devious and underhanded, with more of the backdoor culture that has long been its hallmark. I note that the last time I checked, this is not a communist country, a la North Korea. Well, at least, not yet, though when I consider the shallow word games and now patented pretenses and farces of this country’s president, I am compelled to conclude that party and leader are well on their way.
I counsel that this is not the manner in which to govern a fiercely and irreversibly divided society. Again, I remind: President Ali cannot speak glowingly about something such as “One Guyana” when he is in the forefront of these polarizing visions, attitudes, and objectives.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall
