Patronage should not be the ladder to the top

Apr 20, 2011 Letters

---

Dear Editor,
I write in response to SN article 4/11/2011 “Transnational co-operation is badly needed to fight narco-trade”. This article shows clearly why political patronage is not, and should not, be the path to the Presidency of Guyana.
If these were not dangerous and threatening times (Ramotar’s words, not mine), then the responses of the PPP’s presidential candidate would be fodder for a Link Show or some other comedic outlet.  Mr. Ramotar is right, however, these are serious times.
Narco-crime, gun violence, the state of policing in Guyana, nepotism, and endemic corruption are all issues that should be on the front burner of any serious presidential contender.  The PPP contender’s answers, however, and his lack of intellectual curiosity with regards to governmental policy leave a perilous amount to be desired.
Suddenly, Mr. Ramotar claims to realise that transnational co-operation is badly needed to fight the drug lords.  One must ask where he was when the PPP government refused transnational help in the form of the Security Sector Reform Action Plan (SSRP).
May I remind Mr. Ramotar that his party refused, UK£4.5 Million because it was unwilling to accept parliamentary oversight, genuine participation by all the stakeholders, and a system of checks and balances to ensure transparency in the disbursement of the funds.
Ramotar wants us to believe that his party’s rejection of this help, which would have improved our security services transformatively, and significantly increased the crime fighting capability of the Guyana Police Force, was a matter of national sovereignty.
He says that it would have encroached on the sovereignty of Guyana.  What erosion of sovereignty is he talking about?
Brigadier David Granger, the PNCR Presidential candidate has stated that he would accept this same deal, and Brigadier Granger is a security expert, who spent over 30 years of his life protecting the sovereignty of our nation.  When pressed for a more definitive explanation, Mr. Ramotar states that he was in favour of rejecting this plan because Dr.  Roger Luncheon said it was encroaching on the sovereignty of the government.
Many have opined that Mr. Ramotar is not his own man, and pointed to his limited resumé.  This display of intellectual ineptitude only adds fuel to that fire.  I would expect someone seeking the highest office in the land to possess a better command of facts, and not resort to the simplistic, “… well if Luncheon say suh, is suh.”
This government has failed to implement the 164 recommendations of the Disciplined Forces Commission, it has refused to allow the US drug enforcement agency (DEA) to set up office in the country, and it has failed to mount a credible war against drugs and the culture associated with the narco-trade.
Now, as he sits and waits to ascend to the highest elected office in our country, Mr. Ramotar finally claims to realize what “ordinary” citizens have known for a long time: the situation in Guyana is lethal or perpetually threatening.
Where was Donald when the PPP decided to remove CANU from the Georgetown ports?  Where was he when his party went to bed with Roger Khan, a convicted drug lord who in sworn testimony said that he was working for the PPP government?  Now, this man is not a minor party functionary; Mr. Donald Ramotar, is the General Secretary of the PPP, the de facto leader of the party.
It is not enough to say “I don’t know Roger Khan”, and send us to ask one of your ministers about the spy laptop.  One of the tenets of leadership is accountability, and this man is asking us to make him the maximum leader.
It is disappointing when bad policy and bad governance result in us not having reliable electricity and water supply, even in our capital city.  It is pathetic when after 18 continuous years, Ramotar and the PPP seem unwilling or unable to stamp out nepotism, endemic corruption, and violent street crimes.
The deaths from narco crime and gun violence are directly related to policy decisions that have been made by this administration, and that, Mr. Editor, is criminal.  To say that the PPP has not used the Police force for political purposes is a joke, and a bad one at that.  Just ask Freddie Kissoon, Mark Benschop, and the many other nameless faceless citizens who have been “punished” by the regime.
Professional policemen and women follow the letter of the law, and citations, charges and warrants are dispensed without fear or favour, malice or ill will.  They protect and serve the people, not the political elite.
Mr. Ramotar is right; we are in dire straits, and the next President will have a mess on his hands and he will need help, lots of help, He will have to possess the intellectual agility to comprehend the complex nature of cyber crime, multi-national narco organizations and cartels while simultaneously addressing the bread and butter issues of jobs and job creation.
He must understand market forces, and recognize
Guyana’s strategic geopolitical location in the western hemisphere.  He must be wise enough to implement the policies that move us from producing raw materials to value added products.  This will not be the job for an intellectual lightweight, there will be no time for training wheels.
This will require proven leadership and someone who has ran a complex government organization, someone with the intellectual dexterity to not just be curious, but to execute, to put together a team of the best and the brightest talent in the land to ensure that all Guyanese can live a good life.  The PNCR’s David Granger will be ready on day one.
Mark Archer

---

---