The last decade was for the ruling class and their friends

Jun 26, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter by Dr Randy Persaud, captioned, “AFC likely to disappear”.
Why people voted for the AFC in 2006? There are hundreds of examples that demonstrate that the AFC is not an enemy of the people and thus there is always going to be votes available for the AFC, albeit at this point in time it is not the majority party.
The people who vote AFC in 2006 strongly believed that the party offered the best chance at improving their welfare and thus this patronizing attitude from Dr Persaud is uncalled for.
It would serve Dr Persaud better to look closer to home to unearth the tricks and the treachery against the working class and use his position of influence to dissuade the tricksters from their tricks and treachery in the future.
Read careful these facts now Dr. Persaud:
1. In May 1999, the then Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo stated in the Guyana Chronicle (GC) that GPSU demand for a 40 per cent pay hike was unrealistic. Why? Because in his words, “more than 60 per cent of revenue in 1998 was spent on servicing debts and 28 per cent of revenue was paid to public servants”. In his words according to the GC “if the Government agreed to a 40 per cent pay increase, we’d be spending about 105 per cent of revenue on wages and salaries and servicing debts (alone).” This was the advice provided to President Janet Jagan by her Finance Minister in May 1999.
What she did not know at the time was these public utterances were fraught with deception.
Less than four months after, the former Finance Minister Jagdeo, now President Jagdeo made a classic volte-face in stating “my Government will honour the award in respect of wages and salaries for 1999 and 2000”. The award in question here is the wages award of the Armstrong Commission which saw public servants getting a 31.06% increase for 1999 and 26.67% for 2000 based on the December 31, 1999 wage rates. That is an aggregate of more than 59% combined salary increase for the workers at that time.
Well, well – 40% was unrealistic in May 1999 and but by some magic 59% was possible in September 1999, less than four months after. If this is not deception of the highest form, what is? One of the main reasons for the uproar against President Janet Jagan was “her inability” to meet the wages and salaries expectation of the GPSU but she acted based on advice provided to her by her Finance Team. I trust the reading public is seeing the real picture now and reconciling what we really have in our midst today.2. Providing statistics, Minister Jagdeo pointed in May 1999 that the Janet Jagan administration spent 28% of the total revenue on wages and salaries in 1998. The 2010 budget highlighted that the Government spent 28% of total revenue on wages and salaries in 2009. (Computed from page 67) How better is this 11 years after?
The argument used for not paying public servant more in 1998 was that 60% of the revenue earned was used to pay debt cost. That made sense then, since you should never borrow to pay salaries. However in the 2010 budget, 8% of the total revenue earned in 2009 was used to service debt, an 86% reduction in debt cost as compared to 1998.
Where did all this saving go? Capital works of course! The extra cash was not given to the working class; it was a tsunami of funds for infrastructure works that just fuelled corruption and exacerbate the fundamental problem in Guyana – widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. A boom it was, but for whom? Opportunities were created for a new breed of contractors to join the professional contractors. The only qualification for the new breed was that you had to be a friend or a family of the ruling cabal. I have a living example which has been occupying the press much of late. How on earth a man who never built a forest road got such a huge contract and this award is being defended by the powers that be. When this road implodes, the Government will have to run to one of the more reputable and professional contractors like Courtney Benn and BK International to finish this job.
All this developmental model has done was to make a select few with political coverage into the new aristocrats of Guyana. Well in the real world political coverage cost political dollars. This delegitimizes the Government creating an environment where they are seeing enemies of the state left right and centre as they try to cover you know what.
What has happen to the working class? They continue to get what President Janet Jagan provided to them in 1998 – 28% of the revenue stream. This was a lost decade for the working class. This was the decade of the ruling class and their friends. This is why the AFC will get voted Dr. Randy Persaud. The deception continues.
Many in the PPP do not or choose not to understand the economy, the Ministry of Finance and how it works save and except for a few like Rajendra Rampersaud. Thus when they peddle the deception without thinking, they just disempowered their main support base – the Indo-Guyanese working class. With dis-empowerment, come frustration and with frustration come migration to new political forces or out the country. Because of racial mistrust, the PNC on the whole will not benefit from disenchanted former PPP voters; these voters generally rather stay at home than vote PNC. However, the AFC was that breath of fresh air under young, intelligent and charismatic leaders that does have the potential to capture that vote. All the AFC has to do is ground with the voters.
That is why it is extremely important that the PNC back off and allow the AFC to lead on the formation of the People’s Partnership. That Partnership must not be seen as exclusively PNC. The stigma of the PNC is the principle reason the working class Indo-Guyanese are trapped. That People’s Partnership has a big role to play in un-trapping the working class in Guyana, regardless of race, class or colour. A programme to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor must be planned and agreed by all stakeholders in the People’s Partnership and the Presidential candidate has to be well respected. My choice is public knowledge now – Major General (rtd) Joe Singh.
In concluding Dr Randy Persaud, if one can deceive their political mentor and the legacy of Dr Cheddi Jagan with fictitious figures. What would such a person do with the masses? The deception is only now manifesting itself on the sugar workers. Who’s next?
Please be advised Doctor that the AFC supporters are conscious people and they have the ability to listen to your diatribe and then discriminate between facts and fiction.
Sasenarine Singh

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