The development of Guyana’s potential is hampered by the PPP/C policies of governance

Aug 10, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
It gives me great satisfaction to respond to an article published in Kaieteur News (08-08-10), captioned, “Guyana is not a racially polarised society”.
Let me set the records straight, Guyana is racially polarised country since the PPP/C Government took office.
I am going to show clear instances to support my arguments.
Firstly let’s look at the appointments of key areas in the Public Sector no Afro Guyanese can hold these post; for example the current issue in the education ministry.
Secondly let us look at how development takes place in Guyana, Afro Guyanese communities are always left out of the budgetary allocation for capital works, the state of New Amsterdam is a prime example; no street lights, damaged roads that are the ministry of Public Works duty (not municipal roads), no regularising of the oldest squatting area in the history of Guyana, Angoy’s Avenue.
Thirdly, Afro Guyanese Trade Unions are never engaged in completed collective bargaining for the workers; wages and salaries are always imposed by the so call non racial administration.
Finally the awards of contracts; this is more glaring than anything else; they are no longer good qualified afro Guyanese contractors that can build government structure in Guyana, but these same qualify persons are making the ‘Contracts Kings’ work look good.
Come on Mr. Hyder Ally, take your head out of the sand you have buried from 1992 to present.
The development of Guyana’s full potential is hampered by the PPP/C policies of governance.
Karl Fraser
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How can a man be free and a slave at the same time?

Dear Editor,
On August 1st Guyanese people acknowledged and celebrated Emancipation Day; the freedom of our African ancestors. This historic moment was readily acknowledged by sections of the media as well.
While listening to our beloved radio station on that particular day, my ears were continually assaulted with the use of the term “African slave”.
It’s apparent that some of these radio personalities do not know their history and it is quite alarming and frustrating to note. The term “African slave” gives the impression that the Europeans brought slaves from Africa and not free men. The fact of the matter is that the Europeans captured free African men and women and then enslaved them.
Incidentally there are other media personnel affiliated with NCN channel 11 who suffer the same fate as their radio counterparts.
On the late news edition one night, I distinctly heard the term “free slave” which I tried to ignore but sadly could not. Later in the week on a programme based on the history of Den Amstel Village I heard it again loud and clear. In utter disbelief and overwhelming frustration I wondered if these media personnel were serious or attempting a joke of ridiculous proportions.
Maybe there is someone out there wiser than I who can tell me how a man can be free and a slave at the same time, because frankly I can’t figure it out, it’s too much for my young brain to process.
It’s obvious that these people will benefit greatly from both History and English lessons.
We need an intervention before it’s too late and Guyana is forced to contend with a nation of functioning illiterates.
Randa Rowe,
University of Guyana History Society
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Excessive alcohol consumption

Dear Editor,
I noted with concern over the years a most troubling situation in this country: excessive alcohol consumption.
This situation is really saddening to a great extent. The major culprits of excessive alcohol consumption are males. This is a phenomenon existing not only in Guyana, but all over the world. However, being a citizen of Guyana, I would suggest starting to curb the situation here first.
Permit me to enlighten the public about the truth of alcohol. There are hardly any benefits to be gained by imbibing in copious amounts of alcohol. All it does is make the drinker intoxicated and it deteriorates his/her health. These are just the plain facts. Among many other things, alcohol causes cirrhosis, a disease of the liver, and triggers the onset of senility.
The statistics are there to back up my belief. In almost every country, the life expectancy of males is generally lower than the females. This largely has to do with the fact that men on the whole consume more alcohol than women.
Apart from personal risks which the drinker has caused upon himself/herself, it affects others too. I can relate one by experience. My friend’s father was a chronic drinker. He would get so drunk that even when he did not drink, he still seemed to be in an inebriated mood. It was like he was permanently drunk.
I watched the mother of my friend live in pure hell, and this had taken a huge toll on my friend’s health, as the depression sunk in.
Look at the amount of traffic accidents which occur mainly because of alcohol consumption. Look at the domestic violence situation. Children are just innocent pawns in the whole fiasco. I cannot express the desperateness of this situation in words. I would suggest that tariffs be imposed on alcoholic beverges. We do not need a country full of drunkards. If drinkers were serious about their health, they would drop the bottle now for good. One drink a week is enough. Consuming more habitually is like prematurely ushering yourself to the hospital.
Sushmita Persaud
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What is the panic and race baiting going on?

Dear Editor,
I respond to Gerhard Ramsaroop’s letter titled, “Our current electoral system is designed to preserve the dominance of the PPP and PNCR” in Kaieteur News, August 9, 2010.
Gerhard in being dishonest when he said the Hydar Ally is asking the AFC to keep the door open to the PNCR.
Hydar Ally in his August 7 letter said, “The Alliance for Change (AFC) has in a recent statement ruled out, rather ironically, any ‘alliance’ with either of the two major political parties in Guyana – namely the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C and the main opposition party, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR).” This you would see Gerhard that Ally was talking about both PNCR and PPP.
The AFC is behaving like wildcats and attacking the PNCR for everything and ignoring the PPP to the point of skewing the facts. Gerhard, it is known that the AFC support base came from the PNCR strongholds.
The way you, Khemraj Ramjattan, Tarron Hemraj, Sasenarine Singh and Oma Sewhdat are behaving, is like if these supporters don’t have any sense and you have to think for them.
Raphael Trotman, who is mostly responsible for the AFC votes, said that the AFC’s decision to exclude the PNCR is not unanimous, yet somehow you guys are in overdrive to prove it is it.
What is the panic and race baiting going on? The PPP is in power, go after them. The AFC is spending too much of time attacking the PNCR when it should be focused on the PPP.
Gerhard, I hope the AFC base is taking note of what you guys are doing because you seem more bent on the annihilation of the PNC which many of them sprang from rather than the annihilation of the corrupt PPP government.
Rohit Ramroop

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