Blame the Government – The way ahead is clear

Jun 08, 2008 Features / Columnists

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With each passing day the news from the international community becomes more and more grim. This past week some big companies in the United States announced that they were halting production of large vehicles and closing some plants with the consequent loss of some 10,000 jobs.

Airlines are grounding large sections of their fleet and some who opt to continue with scaled back operations are seeking ways of offsetting the high cost of fuel. And while all this is happening the cost of fuel keeps rising inexorably. On Friday the cost of fuel had reached US$138 per barrel.

This is a most worrying thing because every section of life in Guyana is dependent on fuel which is becoming increasingly prohibitive with each passing day.

And as this is happening, despite the best efforts of the government the cost of gasoline at the pumps has reached the $1,000 a gallon mark.

But Guyana is not the only country caught up in this bind. All around the world the same situation is occurring and governments are being pressured.

Some people on their own initiative are adopting measures to ease the pressure. Those who travel a lot are going after smaller cars and others are resorting to cycling.

The use of bicycles in Guyana is nothing new and indeed there are many who are bringing out their bicycles because they have come to recognize that they have it within their power to save. Any other benefit is just an offshoot and therefore incidental.

There is more to all the cost cutting measures. People in Guyana have come to take electricity for granted but the cost of providing electricity is astronomical, far exceeding what was budgeted for. Yet the consumer is paying a price that is still low.

The decision to keep the electricity charges low is just one of the deliberate measures to ease the burden on the consumer.

This past week, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, as Leader of the House for Government business, met with the parliamentary committee that examines such issues as electricity and explained that there is the expectation that government is going to put even more money into the electricity sector to offset the cash flow.

This simply means that revenue collected by Guyana Power and light is not enough to meet operational costs so Government should take up the shortfall.

The money must come from some source and one of them is from the revenue collected from the value added and excise taxes which the opposition is most vocal about in its criticism. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened at this time had the value added tax not been what it is.

A lot of this money has gone to helping the most vulnerable in the society and at the same time, providing services that are crucial to the society.

It is here that we should take a close look at our preparation for Carifesta which the main opposition party says that it supports but which it also says should be curtailed.

This is the kind of double speak for which the opposition is known and which provides many of the platforms for it to blame the government.

With the hosting of Carifesta not only will revenue be coming into the country but also a large number of small entrepreneurs would be given the boost necessary for them to expand on their operations.

Carifesta has also provided an opportunity for the people of this country to enhance their surroundings as well as show the world that they can ride this surge in food prices.

It is indeed heartening to see the large number of kitchen gardens that are springing up across the country and particularly in the city.

Each garden represents a boon to Guyana ’s food production efforts that started long before the food crises but which has gained momentum. Who can blame the government for the extensive outreach programme to take planting materials to the people?

It is heartening to witness the involvement of the Alliance for Change which has also joined in the distribution of planting material. That party, too, is ensuring that Guyanese feed themselves.

The People’s National Congress Reform should take a leaf from the book of the Alliance for Change. It should let the people march and stage protests but at the end of the day encourage these very people to return to the land so that they could not only provide for themselves the energy they need but also recognize the unreasonable nature of their actions.

The entire Caribbean is now focused on Guyana because even before the food crisis hit, this country was almost at the stage of self-sufficiency. It is unfortunate that the people who grow food never expanded their production to really earn.

But this is the time. The rice farmers are enjoying a bonanza and many should be seeking to plant even more because there is no end in sight to the rising food prices.

And the political leaders should be sitting down to discuss the way forward because when all is said and done the country belongs to everyone.

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