‘THE DONALD’ SPEAKS

Nov 12, 2008 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

‘The Donald’ recently made two important public pronouncements, both of which show that he is quite prepared without showing any dissent against the present administration to take principled positions on matters of national concern.
The first of these was in relation to the global financial crisis. ‘The Donald’ expressed an independent view which has not been heard ever since the PPP took office in 1992. Without attacking the free-market system which his party has openly embraced, ‘The Donald’ noted that it was the failure of state regulation that led to the financial crisis. He then used this to advance an important thesis which no PPP leader has been courageous enough to publicly state and that is that there is still a critical role for the state to play in the development of economies such as Guyana.
I commend ‘The Donald’ for this bold and candid revelation. Most persons do not know it, but ‘The Donald’ is a qualified economist and by clearly outlining that he sees an important role for the State, without at the same time discounting the importance of free markets, ‘The Donald’ has created hope that finally the PPP may be breaking away from the rigid economic orthodoxy which the Jagdeo administration has so blindly followed.
‘The Donald’ is right in recognizing a critical role for the State even if it is merely as an intermediary. If you examine Guyana’s economic growth over the past two years, the growth has been centralized almost exclusively within the traditional sector.
And outside of this perimeter, the growth in the non- traditional sector can be attributed to foreign borrowing, for example in the construction sector. A significant portion of that last year was for the Skeldon Modernisation Project and the Berbice River Bridge within which the State has played an important role.
The role of the State in Guyana needs to be re-examined. Ravi Dev has argued quite persuasively that a critical factor in the boom of the Asian Tigers has been the role of the State which helped to mobilize capital for the export-oriented drive those economies undertook in the seventies and the eighties.
The developmental literature seems to have been almost exclusively ignored by the Jagdeo administration in its almost total submission to the Washington Consensus.
That literature suggests strongly that rapid development can be achieved if the State plays an important and direct role in the early stages of development.
The recent position adopted by ‘The Donald’, while not condemnatory or even contradictory of the government, does suggest that within the PPP there is at least one person who is willing to have a more open-minded approach to things.
This augurs well for the post-Jagdeo period in Guyana.
The second commendable position taken by ‘The Donald’ is in relation to the unpaid benefits due to Adam Harris. The PPP General Secretary, while admitting that he is not familiar with the specifics of Adam’s case, has stated that as a matter of principle he supports persons being paid their benefits.
This is an extremely encouraging statement made by ‘The Donald’. There are many persons within society who are of the opinion, whether rightly or wrongly, that Adam Harris has not yet received what he believes he is entitled to because he is seen as someone who is pro-PNCR.
In the context of a polarised political environment, it is encouraging for a PPP General Secretary to come out and state that if monies are owed to Adam, these should be paid.
‘The Donald’ could have refused to comment. He could have hidden under the guise that he did not know the facts and therefore could not comment. He has not done so. He has come forward and made a statement of principle.
I respect him for that even though it does not mean that Adam will get his money.
I have noted that one letter writer is questioning whether Adam is entitled to any monies. I am not going to respond to that question. Adam may have his ways but I believe in my heart that he will never say he is owed anything unless he so believes. Secondly, I will say this. It is not unusual in Guyana or elsewhere for persons to resign before they have reached the age of retirement and still enjoy their benefits.
If a condition of the resignation was that someone would be paid such benefits, then no court of law would deny that person his dues.
Even if, however, Adam is not entitled to benefits (and I hope this is not what we are going to hear because I will cite authorities dating back to the Medieval Age to support my contention that Adam Harris should be paid), he is entitled to a quick response to his claims.
But Adam has been waiting sixteen years. Well, we can at least look on the positive side of that by pointing out that it has taken just as long for a leader of the PPP to make the sort of encouraging statements that we have heard in recent days from ‘The Donald’. There is still hope for Guyana…but not under Jagdeo.