The most travelled world leader?

Oct 27, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
What is it about our dear land of Guyana that our President does not like?
Surely something has to be making him want to leave Guyana ever so often for other countries. The media has sought clarification on the matter. The Office of the President replied by saying that they do not need to report on the President’s overseas travel and engagements every time.
Government is certainly ‘living it up’ and living above its means. Each trip (First Class, tickets too, I’m sure) costs hundreds of thousands of dollars — monies from the hardworking taxpayers of this country.
Then he drags along several members of his Cabinet and Government to accompany him. Let’s not even attempt to discuss hotels and other ‘costs’ attached to a presidential trip abroad.
Just the other day, Prime Minister Bruce Golding of Jamaica announced that he would be cutting back on his international trips (SN 30-09-09) realising, I am sure, the huge bills which can be avoided by his actions. Not our President.
Mr. Golding cancelled trips to Canada, Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Dubai and China. Our President is such an extravagant and wasteful traveler that he is currently in Canada just to deliver a speech at a Toronto university. That speech may just be over an hour or so. That is how our taxes are expended in this place. Is it any irony that he is overseas at the time I am penning this letter?
I believe the Guinness Book of World Records might be interested in what is happening in Guyana. Even some presidents of rich nations have not traveled as much as President Jagdeo. Guyana should’ve been a better place today if all of his trips were as effective as we may want to think. But we’re not.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite. There are so many situations which have been coming to the forefront as national front-burning issues over the past months in Guyana. Yet, our President seems to want to conveniently get away whenever it is appropriate for him to do so; under the guise of some big meeting to promote Guyana, or his new mantra Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), telling the world about Guyana (as if people are not reading and hearing about the sickening things that are going on here involving his own people in the government).
So, I am proposing something. Cut back on the presidential trips and give that money to the nurses and teachers in this country. We all know that would never happen.
This President has probably traveled more than any other leader this country has ever known — combined! He will surely go down in our history books.
Then at the ‘bottom-house’ meetings, they tell people that Guyana is a poor country. Poor and yet still Government leaders can fly away to other continents, so regular that it makes them look as if they were visiting Berbice or Essequibo?
China, USA, Canada, Egypt, Copenhagen (in December), Norway, Sweden, Chile, Argentina, you name it, he has visited. Each trip squeezes our country’s coffers and finances bone-dry and depleting our financial resources.
With every trip, he seeks to tell all the good things about Guyana and while he is gone, 10 more bad things happen here as more ugly stories raise their heads.
While our nation continues to suffer under this government; while so much corruption is going on in the highest offices; while blackouts rip Guyana every day and night with no ease in sight; while government officials’ names are being called in sexual molestation cases (they too can ‘run away’ when things are not going well for them in Guyana); while thieving is rampant in the high offices; while the government seeks to once again silence the traditional privately owned newspapers; while so much injustice is taking place on a day to day basis; our dear President and his loyal henchmen are touring the world and living off the taxpayers’ blood, sweat and tears. There is no end.
It would serve him and this nation better if he stay at home and govern this country of which he was constitutionally elected to run.
So, does anybody know which country our President and his people are enjoying five star hotels and buffet dinners right now?
Leon Suseran

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