Dear Editor,
Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s life stands as a remarkable example of what Guyanese can achieve given the opportunity. While applicable for all, his achievements are so much more meaningful and relevant to sugar workers because he himself arose out of the sugar belt. There is a president, a great leader, a great person in all sugar workers, in all Guyanese. This said, we once again observe the PNCR in search for leadership. This is relevant because they have also been instrumental in shaping the fortunes of Guyanese, in addition to who we are as individuals, as a people. Also important is that we evaluate the likelihood of the PNCR ever attaining office again. The litany of disasters in the last term alone have been truncated into the following: The PNCR within its umbrella of APNU-AFC coalition effectively disemboweled the lives of many of its very own supporters immediately upon entry into office in 2015 with the chaotic, unplanned removal of many of the vendors in the Stabroek Market area. Knowing well that public servants, another bastion of political support for the PNCR, were very much in need of a review of their incomes and salary structures, the PNCR-led administration effectively stymied efforts of public service unions, most notably the teachers’ union, scuttling the move to arbitration by an independent review panel which would have effectively granted a substantial and long overdue upgrade based on prevailing information.
The PNCR/APNU-AFC policy in the sugar industry where it effectively denied/delayed severance payments to retrenched sugar workers, may be considered the height of economic incompetence in some circles, but is not something sugar workers and the Indian community will ever forget, because the government’s policy of dalliance on payment of severance benefits to sugar workers was nothing short of economic violence. For this act alone the PNCR is unlikely ever to see itself receiving substantial support from the Indian community ever again. The government of the last PNCR/APNU-AFC administration signed an oil contract which made Guyanese liable for the corporation taxes of a multi-billion $US company. For the life of the company in Guyana. Over the period of its administration effectively ended July 2020, the PNCR/APNU-AFC destroyed G$111 billion in financial wealth, taking its deposits in the central bank and commercial banking system from G$78.8 billion in June 2015 to -G$31.7 billion at the end of July 2020. This could easily be claimed as deficit spending, or invested in foreign securities. But we fail to see the benefit of this exercise, which, unless otherwise clarified, effectively sent that G$111 billion into an economic black hole. Not to be outdone, a careful review of articles in the news from March 02, 2020 to August 02, 2020 will show ample evidence linking the PNCR to elements within the Guyana Elections Commission to overturn the results of the March 2020 elections. More valuable than all other elements of our democracy, the PNCR were actively involved, very probably orchestrated the entire episode at GECOM aimed at subverting our right to choose our own government. Therefore, as the PNCR seeks out new leadership, we ask: to what purpose?
Guyana has now entered a stage of political healing where many PNCR supporters, myself included though not any more, recognize that they were misled on the one hand, and the PPP have come to recognize that there are many Guyanese who, as much as they disagree with the policies of the PPP, would never consider dictatorship as a better alternative. Governments which develop a track record for satisfying their populations are very rarely challenged successfully at democratically held elections. The PPP may consider it opportune to extend an olive branch to so many disgruntled Guyanese, chief among these being public servants, whether it be through responding to the present wage crisis via negotiation, arbitration or unilaterally. Also, coordinating with the private sector to create investment and jobs across the regions, or addressing pensions, and benefits for the under-represented/under-served groups. The challenges are not insurmountable, and could best be addressed by sharing job creation as a priority with income reform in the public service. An increase was catered for in the budgets for both last year and the current. Public servants would be happy to receive these.
Sincerely,
Craig Sylvester.
