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Is this a new form of progress and development?

Oct 08, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
I wish to respond to Randy Persaud’s letter captioned “Guyana on the Move” in the press recently. Randy Persaud in his letter is measuring progress and development by the amount of fast foods outlet established in Guyana and he proudly listed them as follows: New Thriving, KFC, Popeyes, and Church’s Chicken.
Can Randy please list the new manufacturing enterprises established in Guyana since 1992? I can provide him a list of dozens of industrial and manufacturing firms that closed since 1992 and some that scaled down their operations due to the high cost of fuel and electricity.
There is now a new economic measuring rod for economic progress in Guyana, Fast Foods restaurants.
He mentioned that GuyExpo attracted over 25,000 Guyanese last Sunday. Last Sunday, I had the whole sea wall for myself as the usual sea wall liming crowds went to GuyExpo for a change of entertainment.
GuyExpo should be renamed GuyImpo or GuyInfo as almost all the booths had imported items. Why were the GRA and the police allowed to have booths at an exhibition that was supposed to promote and seek export markets?
The Minister of Trade and Tourism in his opening remarks at GuyExpo misled the Guyanese nation by stating that land is available for development for US$5 per acre and he even quoted a Barbadian politician to substantiate his statement. Well Mr. Minister, I would like to purchase 10 acres for agricultural purposes, please facilitate my request and prove to the Guyanese nation that you are genuine and your statement is not just political propaganda.
Randy Persaud continues to observe development in the health sector by listing a few health centres that were constructed, but I would like him and the ministers to get their medical treatment at these health centres instead of going to the USA, Canada or Trinidad.
The poor Guyanese who visit these newly constructed health centres have to wait almost 12 hours to get treatment in certain cases, medicines are not available and the foreign doctors can hardly speak English.
We are seeing a lot of progress in Guyana where people cannot get drinking water from their taps and blackouts is an everyday occurrence. Old timers can tell you that we used to drink water from stand pipes at street corners. Today we have to buy bottled water, progress indeed.
What progress have we made in the justice system Randy Persaud? In the past we have never heard judges, magistrates and civil servants have to take the government to court for their benefits.
Today Judges, Magistrates and the police have to take instructions from the political rulers or else they will suffer by not receiving their benefits upon retirement or not promoted.
What about all those unsolved murders Mr. Persaud? The shooting of Ms. Van Beek, Lindo Creek slayings, Lusignan slayings, Bartica slayings, and over 200Guyanese killed by the so-called Phantom Squad.
Why does Guyana have the highest suicide rate in the Caribbean Mr. Persaud? Happy people do not kill themselves.
Never before in Guyana were there so much reported incidences of incest, domestic violence, homosexuality and bestiality? Is this a new form of progress and development?
Recently the UNDP rated Guyana at 114th in the world in their Human Development Index. The same Report stated that Canada is the 4th best country in the world to live in and the U.S. got 13th, two countries Randy Persaud criticised in his letter.
In another Report the UNDP stated that one out of every three Guyanese migrated to other countries. Are the Guyanese people so stupid to migrate and leave a happy and progressive land like Guyana?
As the saying goes, “Guyanese will do anything to leave Guyana”.
Balwant Persaud

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