Dear Editor,
What is going on in Guyana? In the past few days I have seen and heard complaints and accusations from many important sections of our society and it’s very disturbing. First of all, I looked at Mr. Paul Slowe on YouTube, and he was making some very serious allegations against the current situation in our police force and I dare say by extrapolation to other very important sections of our society. What he is saying is completely unbelievable, but since both he and his co-host are former Assistant Police Commissioners, they must know what they are talking about, and here I want to say that I personally congratulated Mr. Slowe some years ago, since it was my opinion then, that as the traffic chief, he was doing an excellent job.
Mr. Slowe is alleging that the police force is currently promoting only one ethnic group or people who are totally unqualified, simply because they are pliable and corruptible, the other group of better qualified and in line for promotion are being bypassed and marginalized. As a result, according to the two assistant commissioners, most of the force are failing to give their all to ‘Protect and Serve’ us. My personal investigation after questioning some old friends in the police force, is that indeed, the allegation has merit. Conclusion? Slowe and Conway are right, we don’t have a police force, because someone is promoting the wrong people seeking to cleanse the force of non-PPP supporters.
They did the same thing at GuySuCo, appointing the wrong people and look at what is happening? The 2024 first crop is almost complete, and we don’t even have 6,000 tonnes of sugar made, Albion’s 1,200 cane cutters, worked only 16 days so far this year cutting cane. This is mainly a result of reaping 2024 first crop cane in second crop 2023. For the first time in our history Uitvlugt has made more sugar than Albion. Giving more money to GuySuCo is like pouring water on a duck’s back. I number in my acquaintances people associated with agriculture, especially sugar and rice. Rice farmers were given a variety of rice which they were told was superior but this variety is dying out in this dry period. Also there were complaints that paddy bugs were causing massive damage to their rice fields. We are in the middle of the longest drought in memory, it is affecting all farmers but especially rice farmers.
I’m not going to comment on the entire situation, region by region, but taking the East Demerara Water Conservancy as my example, there is little farming going on between Diamond to Mahaica these days, since Diamond, Ogle, LBI and Enmore estates have been closed and cane lands abandoned. Therefore, the water requirements have been substantially reduced, but if this is so, why is the East Demerara Water Conservancy, EDWC almost empty now? On discussing with a few old sugar estate friends, it is our consensus that in all probability the inlets to every village on the East Coast and East Bank Demerara, which were taken over by the NDIA, are probably not being properly monitored and maintained and may be bleeding unnecessary water to the Atlantic through the villages along the East Coast from Ogle to Mahaica. Again and again, I must tell you that the Ministry of Agriculture is a completely dysfunctional organization and that includes the NDIA. Again we see that putting the wrong people in charge has consequences to us all no matter what race.
Then there is the matter with the teachers; the government and the teachers agreed to resume work after striking for several weeks, but on resumption, this country, which just published pages and pages of capital works to be done, still refused to settle the matter amicably. Quite typical of our Government. Then we see the really huge development impacting the very foundations of our society. The “UN flags PPP dominated GNBA, raises concerns of media control” which I elaborated on in my letter to SN a few days ago. When called on to offer the government’s position regarding the charges of corruption made against it, the explanations were so puerile, showing clearly what passes for political narrative in this country. That the UN then totally disregards Guyana’s submission and conclude that the complaints of corruption in Guyana is a very real problem and urges us to address “root causes of corruption” they advised us “to take steps to stamp out corruption especially in law enforcement agencies, public procurement and the oil sector as a matter of priority and ensure that all anti-corruption bodies are truly independent.”
I would like to remind the UN Committee, that our ‘bible’ says that “Satan cannot cast out Satan!” The PPP of Cheddi Jagan was not corrupt, and he promised to run a lean and clean system of Government, Mrs. Jagan ditto! Then Jagdeo came along. More than once in the past I have pointed my finger at the level of corruption that has embedded itself in this country since he became the president, starting with GPC – not only the questionable sale of the Sanata property – but establishing a monopoly in the pharmaceutical industry through questionable contracts for that entity to supply drugs to the country, continuing to today when another group is seeking to monopolize hospitals, contracting and security industries at the same time! These people just won’t stop!! And no one is saying anything, our private sector commission is a disgrace. There has not been one word of protest from them, against the unfair competition which these public officials are posing to our legitimate private sector through their investments. And these people have the effrontery to tell the public at Babu Jaan that they are the heirs of Dr. Jagan. More than once I have asked what Dr. Cheddi would do were he to come back and see the monster he created.
I am not even going to address the oil industry situation, starting with the complete lack of oversight, monetary controls and enforcement of the PSA provisions weak as they are, which Glen Lall is exposing weekly in his radio programs, supported by Christopher Ram, Dr. Adams, Ms. Janki and others. And then there is GPL!!! Privatize that monster now!! As bad as Guyanese think that GTT is, I go to Trinidad regularly on business and GTT is, in my opinion, as good as if not better than Trinidad and Tobago Telecom’s which is still mostly government owned. But they are smarter than us, the government is the majority shareholder, but the minority shareholder is Cable and Wireless. For some weeks I have been labouring under the feelings of regret I am experiencing by agreeing to be a PPP/C candidate in 2020! I read their manifesto, and I heard their promises to renegotiate the ridiculous PSA oil contract. I am now forced to tell the public that I apologize for unknowingly being part of that fraud.
Sincerely,
Tony Vieira
