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The “buck”stops at your desk Mr. President

Nov 01, 2010 News

By Ralph Seeram
“Only three months ah want partner, three months and ah buy me own taxi. My taxi driver was updating me on his version of events in Guyana. He was my fifth cab driver so far on my trip in Guyana and at this point I felt I knew everything that transpired in Guyana. Believe me, if you want to get the latest breaking news speak to a taxi driver.
When I was a journalist in Guyana taxi drivers were one of my main news sources. Of course in those days there were no cell phones, computers, e-mails and very few telephone lines, so you had to be very creative in gathering news
There was another source of news, though not as reliable, the “town gossiper”
Mrs. Lashley, God rest her soul, was the “town gossiper”. She can tell you which husband  “minding another man child”, who get “belly fuh who”and who is a fowl thief. However, Mrs. Lashley always qualified her “news” with this disclaimer, ah sell it how ah buy it. Ah didn’t mek any profit”.
This brings me back to my taxi driver and what ever follows here is strictly in keeping with Mrs. Lashley disclaimer with no “profit made”.
He was complaining about how corrupt the country was and especially traffic policemen. He wanted to be a traffic policeman for three months. In that time he can “collect” enough money to buy a taxi. And so it goes everywhere I went.
I personally experienced traffic policemen soliciting bribes to “settle out of court”. This corruption  seems to be institutionalized. You need a birth certificate or passport, “is a bribe”, to speed up documents in various agencies, “is a bribe”, I need not go further as Kaieteur News has done an excellent job of exposing corruption in the higher echelons of Government.
This statement, “It seems that people with money and influence can get anything done”attributed to President Jagdeo seemed to say it all. Unlike some of your critics, Mr. President, I would like to believe that now that you have acknowledged the problem you will take drastic steps to eradicate corruption. The “buck stops at your desk”.
Look Bharrat. (Is it ok to call you Bharrat?) the Diaspora in my part of Florida thinks you are doing a great job. I visit Guyana twice a year for the past five years and I see the tremendous progress Guyana has made.
I thank you for the Berbice Bridge, I do not have to pay a bribe now (yes I confess I contributed to the corruption) to get priority crossing. Bharrat I am in your corner, I do not buy in to idiotic arguments about “elected dictatorship” and lack of freedom of the press. (I do take exception to some of your criticisms of the press). However, anytime I speak of the progress you have made the “boys” hit me with “what you boy doing about corruption and crime?”
I want you to ride into the sunset in blazing glory, not tainted with the title “most corrupt government. Look I’ll tell you a little secret, a high,high PPP official told me once that some PPP officials want to show that they can “thief more than the PNC”. This is no lie. “Ah mek no profit hay”.
You are a student of politics, you know there is no loyalty among politicians, so before you ride into sunset, make a big announcement. “No more corruption in Government.” Throw some of those thieving Ministers and their cohorts including contractors in jail. You start at the top, the message will filter down. You have to do this for the party after. All next year is election and I am thinking of making a donation to Ralph’s presidential bid.

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