The PPP is the last government on this planet which should speak about intractable postures

Feb 14, 2012 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I have been watching patiently as our new political situation unfolds. I have seen numerous signs that the PPP does not understand the current dispensation, starting with that first article in the media when Mr. Nandlall was recorded as telling the opposition that his department will not be drafting or re-tabling any bills modified to the wishes of the now opposition-controlled parliament, since he says that he is working for the executive and not the legislative part of government.
Mr. Nandlall is wrong as usual. He is working for the government of Guyana which includes the parliament and the judiciary.
This 10th parliament will sooner than later have to pass the 2012 budget for Mr. Nandlall’s office. He should be advised that if they cut his budget and his emoluments in half, since he perceives that he is only working for the executive part of government, they would be well within their rights to do so.
Before I go further, I want to recap for the Guyanese people what happened in this country on 28th November 2011 – the PPP lost the election!
Since by only obtaining 48% of the popular vote it meant that were it not for the ridiculous Burnham constitution which disallows the formation of coalitions after an election, the AFC and APNU, which are natural opposing forces to the PPP, would have come together and formed the government and the PPP would have been the opposition.
And as far as snap elections, let us see President Ramotar call for snap elections when the opposition refuses to pass a budget, unless it limits the funds to GECOM so that it cannot finance an election – which is their right since they are now in the majority in parliament.
Sam Hinds refusing to disclose the details of the Sithe Global and other deals is now not acceptable since the people in this country, fed up with the incompetence and corruption of the PPP government have voted 52 per cent to get them out so Mr. Ramotar and Mr. Hinds must rethink their positions and the opposition must be less timid to use their powers and table motions in the parliament ordering their full participation on all government boards in keeping with the will of the people, and in keeping with their now 52% control of parliament.
As of this moment, the opposition can demand places on the board of NCN and the Chronicle.
In fact, they can demand a majority of the places on the NCN board and the chairmanship. NCN must not receive any further subventions from the budget since it creates an unfair competition with the private broadcasters and violates Article 149 of the constitution which demands equality.
And as far as GPL is concerned, there must be a full forensic audit of the entire company before any funds are released through the budget to prop up that incompetent and expensive drain on the people of this nation.
And the opposition should pass a motion to examine if GPL should be privatised, since the manifestos of both the AFC and APNU call for the privatisation of all non-productive and badly run state-owned entities which are a drain on an already heavily taxed people in this country who voted for the opposition, and therefore the privatisation of GPL.
The opposition seem to be too tentative in their approach to this situation. Mr. Ramjattan keeps calling for an investigation for this or that. Just pass a motion in parliament and demand it, Khemraj! That is the way forward! But not a single motion has been tabled by the opposition demanding the changes they promised and on which they got elected.
I am not too sure that having private talks with Mr. Ramotar – without disclosing to the public what exactly they are discussing and what demands are being made – is an action which will fill the Guyanese people with confidence that their effort to remove the PPP from complete control of the  decision-making process is working.
The opposition parties must therefore declare the specific agenda of the discussions so the public will know what they are demanding and that they are discharging their responsibility on behalf of the people.
As far as the hydro project is concerned, the opposition must maintain their position of establishing closer ties with the Brazilians.
Of the three former Guianas  – British, French and Dutch – our Guyana is the only one which has not committed to forming a meaningful partnership with Brazil. They have offered us an 800 megawatt hydro project which they will build if we allow them to give Manaus badly needed power from the Guyana dam.
Given this situation, there is a potential to get hydro power without bankrupting ourselves and still collect money from Brazil for supplying power to Manaus. We must also commit to the highway to Georgetown and a deep water harbour which they have been begging us to let them have for more than 15 years.
We seem to be sinking ever deeper into debt with China and India which want nothing we have, except to control and exploit us, and as such they cannot make meaningful partners with us. But Brazil, which needs our help to develop, is willing to finance a lot of our projects as our partner so that it can fast track development to the mutual benefit of both countries.
What Mr. Ramotar sees as a process of them gobbling us up, the opposition sees as a fast track to total development of Guyana. It is in their manifestos and the people have spoken, they want what they promised as well.
The visionaries in French Guiana and Suriname are to be complemented for their insights and we should re-examine what exactly are the motivations of the PPP in not taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity which is presented to us.
The Brazilians will have access to the ocean through Suriname and French Guiana and we will be left out, poor and in the control of visionless people who have an agenda of keeping us from developing so that they can hold on to power and raid the treasury.
Mr. Ramotar warning the opposition which has a 52% mandate from the people, that he “will not allow the government to be held to ransom” is an empty threat.  I agree that it is time for reconciliation and compromise, but not at the risk of leaving the PPP in government to carry on their incompetent and corrupt business as usual, which the people of this country voted against.
Both the Stabroek News and the Kaieteur News have made numerous suggestions of what has to be changed and what has to be investigated, e.g. Queens Atlantic, CLICO and NICIL etc. I will not venture into these areas, I think that the two dailies have done a marvellous job of pointing them out and I congratulate them both, but hopefully the opposition will take more aggressive action to ensure that these enquiries are done, and they must table motions in the Parliament demanding these investigations and demand that competent international forensic auditing firms be hired to disclose the depth of the incompetence and corruption which went on in this country during the Presidency of Jagdeo. All contracts, all sales of public property etc. must be examined. That was the mandate which the people of Guyana gave them on the 28th November 2011.
Finally I want to join those who have condemned the dismissal of Freddie Kissoon, and I especially want to point out Mr. Alfred Bhulai’s excellent letter in the SN of Feb. 11th captioned “it was not possible to do scientific research at the University of Guyana because of lack of equipment and funding” leaving Ms. Chandarpal and the UG councillors with egg on their faces.
It is my opinion that the opposition should demand positions on the UG board in keeping with their majority in parliament to protect people like Freddie, who seem to be falling to a process of victimisation. This is what we fought for Mr. Ramotar. Please do not insult our intelligence by telling us that your government will not be held to ransom and intractable postures of the opposition. The PPP is the last government on this planet which should speak about intractable postures.
Anthony Vieira

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