President Donald Ramotar’s address to the nation inflamed rather than calmed passions

Apr 29, 2012 Letters

Dear Editor,
In a scene and tone that can only be called Jagdeoesque, his Excellency the President Donald Ramotar addressed the nation on Friday night and inflamed rather than calmed passions. I continue to be amazed that this chief executive continues to use his bully pulpit to divide rather than bring the nation together. I am flabbergasted that the PPPC administration continues to operate as if they were given a clear mandate by the people at the last elections.
This was a perfect opportunity for Mr. Ramotar to address the nation and explain to the populace that what they had just witnessed was democracy in action. It was not a perfect process, and that it was akin to watching Black-Pudding being made (the process was bloody and messy) but hopefully the end product would be palatable to the nation; that his party did not get everything they wanted but the peoples representatives had spoken.
The name calling and unwarranted veiled threats did not advance the cause of the minority PPPC government; in my opinion it further isolated that group from the mainstream electorate that voted for change. It was this same crass political prostitution that caused the PPPC their majority in the legislature; it was this same “all or nothing” attitude that the President now tries to pin on the Parliamentary majority that caused the PPPC to lose the last election.
After almost 20 years of continuous abuse of the parliamentary system and the budgetary process, the people of Guyana was this year treated to a civics lesson in government and parliamentary procedure. We saw members debating and seeking clarity on budgetary allocations, we saw the rebuttals and then we saw the people’s representatives vote to spend our money in the best interest of all of the people.
That the President would see that as a negative process, just because Dr Singh’s budget was not rubber stamped by the majority, speaks to his and the PPPC’s brand of democracy.
Where was the intransigence, where was the lack of patriotism, where was the destruction of workers right? History shows that it was the PPPC that was intransigent and foolhardy when upon gaining the Presidency, they did not engage in any meaningful power sharing outreach to the groups that gained the majority of the votes.
It was the intransigence of the PPPC government to continue to enable GINA and the NCN with taxpayer dollars in spite of the calls by the political opposition and international elections observers, that these organs of the state were horribly tilted towards the PPPC view point. It was the PPPC government that destroyed the public service unions and the collective bargaining agreements in Guyana, with the advent of contract employees; it was the PPPC Government that withheld the subvention for the Critchlow Labour College; it was the PPPC government that continues to administer over a country of 83,00 square miles with one government controlled radio station; it is the PPPC government that despite a court ruling continues to saddle the people of Linden with NCN propaganda; It was the PPPC government that refused to issue radio license to both Kaieteur News and Stabroek News.
Mr. Editor, it would have been refreshing and educational if the President had explained why his party refused to grant an increase to workers in the public sector; why they refused to lower the toll on the Berbice river bridge to $1000.00; why they refused to lower the VAT to 14 percent; why they refused to suspend the exorbitant super-salaries to contract workers at the Office of the President and other government ministries.
The population would have been better served if we were told why money could be found for the Marriott deal and no money for a pay increase to struggling clerks and servants in the government employ. The dire predictions of retarded development due to the current budget cuts must be viewed as political rhetoric and Mr. Ramotar pandering to what’s left of his base.
This, Editor, was a breath of fresh air and a shot in the arm for democracy in Guyana. If the PPPC and the President think otherwise and move towards early elections then let me be the first to predict that the result they seek will not be forthcoming.
Mark Archer

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President Donald Ramotar’s address to the nation inflamed rather than calmed passions

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