After 18 years and hundreds of billions of dollars

Aug 01, 2010 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

A columnist of this newspaper posited an election victory for the PPP next year because he said debt rescheduling has left the economy in a much better state. Statistics do not support that contention but let’s dwell on the debt. The columnist who made that observation omitted to provide context.
There has been no evidence that debt rescheduling was an achievement of any leader who received it. The cancellation of the Third World’s debt was a global issue that occupied the thoughts of the people who were in a position to help the Third World, that is, the G7 group. The Third World could have put a Michael Manley, a Forbes Burnham or an Indira Gandhi in the conference room and the terms would have been dictated by the G7 countries.
The major part of the debt of the eleven poorest nations in the entire world was erased by the G7 three and a half years ago and in that category was Guyana. Interesting to note (and I wrote this shortly after) in that generous offer, Burkino Faso got better treatment than many others. I wrote this at the time because here in Guyana some politicians in the corridors of power were talking about Guyana’s leadership role in the debt write-off. That was far from the truth. The forgiveness was an act of the G7 in which British PM Tony Blair had to wrest compromise from President George Bush.
So Guyana is not burdened with heavy death repayment. If you include both local revenue and trade and grants from foreign countries, the PPP Government from 1992 to now has had hundreds of billions of dollars at his disposal. What is its balance sheet after those 18 years? Its apologists, like a stuck record, love to make the comparison with the PNC Government. Recently, Mr. Sasenarine Singh in a letter to the press did a statistical analysis and it revealed that the Jagdeo regime has had more resources with which to assist development than any other administration from Burnham in 1968 onwards.
It is when you use this kind of context as Singh did, then, you can conclude that the present rulership has been an abysmal failure when compared to the Burnham and Hoyte era. Barefaced leaders of this present Government dishonestly make a comparison with their government and Burnham’s.
Guyanese voters should be given an exposure of this morally bankrupt comparative hoax. The PNC governed on its own from 1968. By the time balance of payment problems began in 1979, the PNC had chalked up some serious developmental projects like the MMA, Demerara Harbour Bridge, the establishment of UG at Turkeyen, the National Park (yes, that aesthetic project was part of progress).
During this time, education from kindergarten to tertiary levels was free. Kilowatts from the Guyana Electricity Corporation were not the highest in South America and the Caribbean. Potable water was free. Fast forward the tape to the post 1999 Government and even those who work for minimum wages have to pay for water. All house owners are rated, it means those who are tenants have to pay for water. If you work for minimum wages and you are a tenant, you have to share the water bill with the landlord. This is the anti-working class brutality of this present PPP Government.
Today, reputable business people are stealing electricity because the cost of kilowatts is so high that it devours the profits. The entire population will die immediately from heart attack if they know who and who are fixing the meters to steal from GPL. Oh no! You think it is only squatters. Multi-billion firms, mostly of the family-own types, are ripping off GPL. And they will not be prosecuted. A gas station owner told me he quickly got out the business because with electricity rates there were no profits coming in.
Here now is evidence of the nakedly lewd comparison. With less money to spend, UG was free under Burnham and Hoyte. Today medicine and law cost 300,000 to 500,000 annually. This is the fee imposed by a Government that has under its resources hundreds of billions of dollars. Poor Burnham didn’t have VAT. Burnham would never have accepted VAT. It is an indecent, inhuman assault on the poor classes. Finally, infrastructure fell down under Burnham. The fellow didn’t have money to run Guyana. I attended the cultural show to mark the 25th anniversary of the accountancy firm of Ram & Mc Rae. One of the most popular performances was a song on the danger of potholes. As you listened, you thought the man was singing about Guyana in 1985.

Latest News

After 18 years and hundreds of billions of dollars

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 27th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

GSL 2025 to take place in July

Ken Harvey dominates GBA’s Pepsi/Michael...

Goal is Money survive scare on Opening Night of...

GFF President congratulates Junior Lady Jags

Former Windies captains remember...

Olympic Kremlin crowned Horse-of-the-Year at One...

Features/Columnists

The PPP/C’s greatest liability

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Guyana: violence increasingly seen as solution

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

After 18 years and hundreds of billions of dollars

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 27th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]