Good move Mr. President!

Apr 09, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
First, allow me to clear the air on Colin Woolford’s response to my letter of April 7 in which he conveniently choose to omit that he wished for ‘Killaman’ to hit me down, Kwamme to seduce my son, and Ganda to rape my daughter.
But I would rather see Guyana prosper under another PPP/C administration, and be called a Judas and a Dutch axe, than to have a sick, psychopathic state of mind that finds pleasure in the raping of an innocent child.
Mr. Editor, It takes a real man to admit he was wrong in assessing the rate of development in a country thousands of miles from where he lives, and to try to correct that misconception when he sees progress with his own eyes.
If someone lives in Georgetown and does not travel to other areas of Guyana as I have done, it is unlikely for them to see the ‘forest for the trees’. It is reminiscent of the story of the three blind men who wanted to find out the shape of an elephant.
The first touched the elephant’s foot, and conclude that the elephant looks like the trunk of a tree; the second felt the side of the elephant and said it shaped like a wall; and the third held the elephant’s trunk, and pictured the elephant as a giant hose. More Guyanese must take the time to discover Guyana – travel to other regions and get a true perspective of what is taking place throughout the country.
I still stand by my condemnation of President Jagdeo’s authoritarian style of governance, and the increased corruption and violent crimes that plague the nation.
But one has got to be blind, bias or a die-hard member of the opposition not to admit that Guyana has progressed steadily under the PPP/C, and Guyanese are better off for it.
This brings me now to the title of my letter. The recent announcement by President Jagdeo to pump $10 million into the craft industry is certainly a move in the right direction.
There are many talented, young, unemployed Guyanese who could further develop their skills and produce superior quality craftsmanship if given adequate incentives to do so.
I once lived in the Caribbean where it was common to see young boys begging tourist for money.
I held a workshop and taught them how to paint artistic designs and national symbols on small, smooth, volcanic rocks that were easily found on the beaches.
They were then able to sell those to tourist for US$1 each, to be used as souvenirs and paper-weights.
With the emphasis now on tourism, Guyana needs to produce souvenirs and local crafts that reflect our national pride, of a very high standard and competitively priced.
A study of locally produced souvenirs found in most Caribbean Islands is a good indication of the high quality the tourist look for and are willing to buy.
Hammocks made in Peru and Brazil are usually of a much higher standard than those made locally, and the local craft available in Amerindian villages, are too often overpriced.
The $10 million can be used effectively to sponsor training workshops, provide small interest-free loans to groups and individuals, and to secure markets for the anticipated increased production of local crafts.
Although this suspiciously appears to be another election year ploy by the President, it is likely to create jobs, rekindle a dying industry, and sharpen the creative skills of Guyanese craftsmen/women.
Now that Jagdeo is on his way out, he seems to be finding his niche at last, and though the opposition will rightly question his motives, he is preparing the way for another PPP/C victory, and is making it very difficult for the opposition to gain traction.
Harry Gill

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