Dear Editor,
Please permit me space in your letter column to publish this missive. I have analysed the recent utterances by Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo during several public outreaches held by the PPP/C regime in regions 2, 5, 6 and 10, highly funded by taxpayers’ dollars. Editor, I believe that Leaders, whether at the National or Local levels, must be honest, trustworthy, have integrity and be responsible for their words and actions, to the electorate. I listened to the speeches made by Mr. Jagdeo at all the meetings and I have observed many inconsistencies as he attempted to address issues of “temporary jobs, infrastructural development, etc.”
At the first outreach held in March 2022 at Anna Regina Multilateral School, Region 2, the residents were mesmerized with promises of “temporary jobs”, infrastructural development, modernized hospital, to name a few, where I know many will not be delivered. Why? The PPP/C regime has a track record of making promises and not delivering. We recall the rice farmer and paddy issue, where pre-May 2015, rice farmers were promised better price for paddy and fertilizer, etc., whether in 2022 or just before this PPP/C regime demits office in 2025. Mr. Jagdeo stated, “Before I leave here you will see an ad come about for about 800 new jobs for the people to get part-time work to supplement their family income.” Editor, I found this statement preposterous. During the lead up of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections, the PPP/C promised 50,000 jobs in their first term of office. However, instead of seeing jobs created, we saw persons fired from their jobs. The PPP/C is approaching two years since they are in office in August 2020, However, they only realized they had FAILED to deliver the first 10,000 jobs promised and decided to host these outreaches to give Guyanese more promises without a plan to make those promises a reality. Instead, the residents were told by Mr. Jagdeo, “hoping to generate about 1,000 jobs,” (Department of Public Information, March 22, 2022). To date, the PPP/C is yet to provide the statistics to the people of Guyana where jobs have been created, types created, and the number of persons employed. Instead, Guyanese are being introduced to a new sound bite of “temporary jobs”. But again, they failed to provide what category of temporary jobs will be created.
The people of Region 2 were promised 800 jobs in two weeks when the outreach was hosted in the region in March 2022; residents of Linden, Region 10 were promised 800 jobs, and residents of Regions 5 and 6 were also promised 1000 and 3000 temporary jobs respectively during the outreaches in those Regions in April 2022, at a monthly salary of $40,000.00. Nevertheless, when I penned this letter on May 21st, 2022, residents in those regions are yet to be provided with an update. Clearly, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP/C regime do not have a plan to move Guyana and its people to their full potential strategically. Most concerning, Editor, was the insult to the people that the salary for the ‘temporary jobs” will attract a sum of $40,000.00. Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP/C must be reminded that pre-May 2015, the minimum wage under them was $39,570.00. An increase was given to the people by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government after they were grossly underpaid a mere $39,570.00 under the PPP/C for 23 years. The Coalition Government, in its first budget in 2015 took the minimum wage from $39,570.00 to $60,000.00. With the increase in the cost of living, it is an absurdity to pay $40,000.00 monthly for “temporary jobs”. Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP/C should let the Guyanese know what mechanism or strategy is used to determine that $40,000.00 is adequate. Mr. Jagdeo further iterated that budget 2022 has provisions for these “temporary jobs”. I have participated in Budget 2022, and there are no provisions listed for the creation of temporary jobs across the regions. Perhaps, Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP/C can inform me where in the budget estimates this can be found, including the page or pages and the full sum for salaries to be paid.
Apart from the “promised temporary jobs”, residents were told that billions have been set aside in the 2022 budget for community roads. But, again, I cannot recall such figures in the budget for Regions 2, 5, 6 and 10. So to refresh my memory, I decided to consult with the Current and Capital revenue and expenditure for 2022. Quoting from Mr. Jagdeo, this is what the residents of Region Two were told, “This region alone we are going to put $1 billion alone on community roads in this year’s budget”, (Department of Public Information, March 22, 2022). From the language spoken, Mr. Jagdeo referred to the future rather than addressing the current issues; perhaps he is oblivious to Budget 2022 provisions for this region. For the edification of your readers, Editor, I wish to let them know and remind them of the provisions made in and approved by the National Assembly on February 25, 2022, when the budget was passed without adjustments. The disaggregated sums for “maintenance of Infrastructure” under Public Works for Region 2: Pomeroon/Supenaam under Agency 72, for current expenditure, of Volume 1 of the estimates for 2022. (page 474) are: 1) maintenance of roads ($30M); 2) maintenance of bridges ($10,000.00); 3) maintenance of drainage and irrigation works ($5M)); 4) maintenance of Sea and River Defenses ($3.8M) and 5) maintenance of other Infrastructure ($8M). For Capital Expenditure in the same volume 1 on (page 679), under Public Works, project code 1100300, the sum of $28M was approved for the construction of bridges in Region 2, while project code 1400500, the sum of $90M approved for the provision of roads.
Similarly, the residents of Region 6 were told, “a sum of US $100 million will be invested to widen and pave the main access road from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek, Corentyne. The project will see the thoroughfare being widened by four feet on each side. Tender for the project will be out shortly. They were also told that “another $4 billion is set aside for community roads…” Editor, to address Region 6, the same reference used to acquire data for Region 2 was utilized for Region 6 to highlight to your readers the estimates for Region 6 maintenance of Infrastructure under Public Works: 1) maintenance of roads ($200M); 2) maintenance of bridges ($68M); 3) maintenance of drainage and irrigation works ($0)); 4) maintenance of Sea and River Defenses ($0) and 5) maintenance of other Infrastructure ($25M). For Capital Expenditure in the same volume 1 on (page 685), under Public Works, project code 1100700, the sum of $54M was approved for the construction of bridges in Region 6, while project code 1401000, the sum of $275M approved for the provision of roads.
Therefore, Editor, it was disingenuous of Mr. Jagdeo to promulgate and cause the people in those regions and by extension, the general population that great things are in store for their regions in budget 2022 when this is far from the truth. Since their ascension to office in August 2020, many of the promises made have not been delivered. To identify a few, the re-opening of the Sugar estates, is yet to be realized; 50% increase for Public Servants, yet to be realized, day care services for working mothers, yet to be realized, the renegotiating of the Oil contract, yet to be realized. The governance of this country under the PPP/C regime is not new to many, if not all Guyanese. During their twenty-three years pre-May 2015 of which twelve of those years have been attributed to Mr. Jagdeo, Guyanese witnessed the wastage of taxpayers’ money through failed and incomplete projects. A typical example is the Skeldon Sugar Factory, the Fiber Optic Cable, the Amalia’s Falls hydro project. The discrimination of Guyanese, breakdown of the rule of Law, non-compliance of the tenets in the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, police brutality, where predominately Afro-Guyanese were killed, rampant corruption, and unfair treatment of Public Servants. Today, Guyanese are gradually seeing these actions creeping up since August 2, 2022, including “political persecution of innocent Guyanese and the Wild, Wild West in my beloved Nation.
As I conclude Editor, I appeal to Guyanese to be wary of propaganda and the peddling of untruths by the PPP/C regime, through their spokesperson, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo. I therefore challenge Mr. Jagdeo to publicly state where in budget 2022, is the one billion ($1B) allocated for Region 2 and four billion ($4B) for Region 6, regarding infrastructural works, exclusively to “community roads”. I also want to encourage Mr. Jagdeo on what the Holy Bible (KJV) scripture says concerning TRUTH, Proverbs 12:22, “the Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.”
Sincerely,
Annette Ferguson
Member of Parliament
