Owen Allen’s youthful indiscretion is why voters must be reminded of the PNC

May 26, 2011 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
There are a few variations of this famous quotation, but I believe the earliest version of this can be credited to the poet and philosopher George Santayana., who said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
I thank Mr. Owen Allen for his letter: “Tired of Harry Gill’s biased writings” (Kaieteur News, May 25), for it gives me an opportunity to talk directly to the youths of Guyana who will be voting for the very first time in a general election later this year.
Let me first dispel any notion that I may be bias as the caption of his letter suggests, as I have been very critical of the Jagdeo Administration for quite sometime, and I’m still critical of the lack of transparency and accountability of his Administration, his empty promise to pass the Freedom of Information Act, and the way government contracts are awarded to cronies Makeshwar Fip Motilall who, despite all the evidence of his lack of knowledge and experience, was given a very lucrative contract of US$15.4 million to build the Amaila Falls access road, which is way behind schedule.
But as he correctly quoted me in one of my previous letters, “I have no loyalty to anyone or to any political party or organisation, and I’m too independent to have my values compromised. My only agenda is to foster our nation’s well-being and fight for equal opportunity for all. It is never easy to admit one’s mistakes, but I am man enough to say that I have been judging the President a bit too harshly. For with all his faults, Guyana has made steady progress under President Jagdeo…”
Owen Allen’s youthful indiscretion is why voters must be reminded of the PNC.
Here is a young man who, admittedly never experienced the tyranny of the PNC administration during the 70’s and 80’s, is quite prepared to put them back in power because he sees only the bad side of the PPP/C government, and totally disregards all the progress Guyana has made since they inherited a bankrupted economy in 1992, and he calls me ‘bias’?
Mr. Owen was not yet born in those days, and was only 12 years old in 1992. So unless he is a student of political history, he could never know how desperate and hopeless life in Guyana was under the PNC, and it is for this reason that Donald Ramotar’s presidential campaign must arm young voters with this knowledge to enable them to make an informed decision at the polls.
I do understand and share his frustration by all the reported ‘scams’ that he mentioned, and I would admit that this administration is far from being perfect. But I ask him and all the youths in Guyana to consider this: When a parent tells a child that a solid education is a sure way out of poverty, and that child follows bad company, cuts classes and eventually fails his exams; when a child is told not to cultivate bad habits like smoking or using drugs; or a child is punished for doing something he has been told repeatedly not to do, this is neither a condemnation of bad parenting or a lack of love for the child, although this is precisely what the child may believe.
But as parents, we have the responsibility, obligation and experience to advise our children the right way, to prevent them from going down the wrong road, and even administrate ‘tough love’ at times, when we cannot for one reason or another, give in to all their demands. So you see Mr. Owen, although you may truly believe that this PPP/C government is corrupt and lacks accountability, by voting for any coalition party where the PNCR is the dominant force, would be the equivalent to you throwing away a perfectly good but noisy air conditioner, when you’re not aware that the temperature outside is forecasted to be blistery hot for the next five years.
Young voters in Guyana have a real choice to make: They can ignore the historic facts of 28 dismal years of PNC rule, and hope that David Granger, the man that does not even have a plan for the PNC traditional stronghold of Linden if he wins, will miraculously know how to manage the Guyana economy.
Or they can continue down the road of nation building with a new president that actually listens to the people. A road that looks prosperous for the young leaders of this nation, with a more secure future for themselves and generations yet to come.
I urge the young voters to think for themselves and not fall prey to misguided rhetoric. Nineteen years of PPP rule is also a long time, but that’s how long it took to fill the gigantic hole left in the economy by PNC Leaders Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte. Now that the economy is booming, the PPP/C deserves another five years to bring our hopes and aspirations to fruition, and make us all proud to be one people, one nation, with one destiny.
Harry Gill

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