President Santa Claus

Sep 05, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
As I entered the Apple Store in Manhattan, to buy the new iPhone 4G as an upgrade to the iPhone 3Gs I’m currently using. I couldn’t help thinking sarcastically to myself, “I should invite President Jagdeo here the next time he’s in New York, so he could picked up 90,000 iPhones for the poor people back home and, as he seems to be in the give-away spirit, why not purchase a similar amount of the new Apple iPad as well… after all, with the exception of the hard drive size, these high-tech gadgets are almost as powerful as the macBook Pro computer I’m writing on”.
Ludicrous though my thoughts were, I am aware that anything is possible during an election campaign; and as he already has tremendous experience at misleading the electorate with empty promises, why not fool them again?
The PPP/C had 18 years to elevate the living conditions of the poorest in Guyana, especially that of our indigenous people and have done little or nothing in this regard…why now? President Bharrat Jagdeo’s recent proclamation to give 90,000 laptop computers to families beginning with the poorest, coupled with his most generous promise to the Amerindian people to give them computers with internet access in every village, needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
Much have already been said to cast serious doubts on his sincerity, and the viability of helping 90,000 poor families with the promise of computers; so either President Jagdeo does not read the views expressed in the very popular independent dailies, or he’s being given bad advice. Either way, this looks very much like another election gimmick to me. Only time will tell if the Guyanese people are as naïve    as the politicians believe they once were.
In today’s world, a computer, though immensely powerful, is practically useless without a printer or an internet connection. Dial-up connection to the internet is so slow it’s practically obsolete in developed countries. High-speed internet service cost about $10,000 per month in heavily populated Georgetown, and most cannot afford it.
How much more would it cost the inhabitants of those sparsely populated and isolated Amerindian villages to have access to the internet? Or are we to believe that President Santa Claus will provide this technology to those areas without passing on the cost to the poor Amerindians users. And if the President feels it is economically feasible to do so, then the people in Georgetown and other coastal areas are simply being robbed.
Blackout in the Capital City of Georgetown and other villages is still very common, and the only solution seems to be the Amaila Falls Hydro-Electric Project, if Fip Motilall can finish the access road on time. Yet President Santa promise to have solar power in every Amerindian home within three years.
I believe using solar power in very remote locations to be practical, since reliable power can be provided virtually anywhere. But why not start with the already affected populated areas like Georgetown, Essequibo and Berbice, allowing those residence the use of solar power to offset their utility-supplied energy consumption, or to provide back-up power in the case of blackouts, or to operate independently of the utility grid if they so desire?
The President makes promises, but who pays for his follies? Who pays for the units, the installation, and the remodeling of most roofs to accommodate solar panels? Considering our impoverished indigenous people will not be in a financial position to do so, will Government? And is this decision by the President taken in consultation with the Amerindian people, for I’m sure these developments will have tremendous impact on their lifestyle and tradition, if brought to fruition.
If President Jagdeo is really serious about helping the impoverished and the youth, he should free up the entrepreneurial skills of the private sector, and give them the incentives to create jobs; get rid of the Value Added Tax (VAT) that has become an added burden to the already over-taxed consumers; complete the construction of the Linden-Lethem road with a hard all-weather surface to allow skilled Amerindian craft-men/women easy access to markets in Linden and Georgetown; and give the Amerindian community a contract to furnish and redecorate the reception areas in all ministerial buildings, providing jobs for them, while proudly displaying and preserving our cultural heritage.
As the election campaign intensifies, and President Jagdeo tries to build a legacy of his own, we can expect more empty promises from this Administration; but those of us who are vigilant, will ensure that this shenanigan is no longer effective to fool the people and to win votes.
Harry Gill

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