Is there any plan to uplift the poor?

Jun 29, 2013 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Over the past few weeks, the President has been crisscrossing Guyana making speeches to those he views as supporters to shore up his dwindling popularity prior to the Congress. While such political propaganda did not shore up his Presidency, it did bring to the fore a significant issue; why has he not done more for the poor?
First of all we must define what a ‘poor agenda’ is. A poor agenda is one which would take into account the current – and pre-existing – conditions of the poor in Guyana and actively seek to do something to improve their lives especially at the micro-level, rather than simply addressing them as part of a wider macroeconomic policy.
In reality, there are more than a few valid and pressing reasons for a specific poor agenda. The current unemployment rate for poor Guyanese is worse than for the rest of the nation which is experiencing an average unemployment of close to 25%. The economic situation of the poor has become a chronic problem, resulting in social diseases such as spousal abuse, suicide, alcoholism, illegal drugs, and a general breakdown of social order.  Too many children are being born in Guyana today that have no scope to make it out of the army of the poor or even get a proper education, and after 22 years in office, the PPP has done little or nothing to improve the situation.
Education and jobs are the only avenues for the poor children to make it out of the army of the poor, but they continue to be underserved by attending schools with inadequate facilities and not enough experienced and qualified teachers, and are more likely to receive a sub-standard education.
When it comes to healthcare, the poor are massively over-represented in death rates, with some of them dying for elementary reasons such as childbirth. The West Demerara Regional Hospital is now labeled a “death zone” and as one singer said, “if you go to the public hospitals with a gum boil, you will end up six feet in the soil.” All this is happening as the leaders and their families seek medical attention abroad.
Superficially it makes sense to say that addressing education, healthcare and the economy in general is enough. That view assumes, however, that the bulk of the expenditure in these sectors actually reaches and/or impacts the poor. It also assumes that all communities have the same needs, and that a one-size-fits-all approach works. Yet, the reality continues to reveal that this is not the case.
The PPP budgets have not gone far enough to help the marginalized communities, and they lacked transparency and accountability.
Well-targeted investments are required in critical community-level infrastructure such as parks, playfields and the conversion of primary schools into night schools for the job seekers to build their capacity to increase their skill set like re-writing their CXC English and Maths examinations, how to prepare a resume for a job application; how to apply for a Bank loan; and how to run a small cottage business etc.
Solving the issues that directly affect the poor strengthens Guyana as a whole, since chronic unemployment, poverty and healthcare issues have not only a cultural and societal impact, but an economic one as well.
Any society which ignores or overlooks the problems affecting the poor is a society that cannot function to its full potential and is doomed to fail.  Guyana is certainly performing way below its full potential and this is because the regime continues to ignore their plight.
Transformation of the lives of the poor is not something that the President can solve on his own and there is no doubt that he requires the support of not only civil society but of the political opposition.  That is why the tripartite meeting makes so much sense; but this process continues to be abused by the President and yet the leader of the opposition continues to meet with him. Mr. Granger is playing a dangerous political game and he might be relieved of the leadership of the PNC sooner rather than later.
In truth, though, this is not just about the poor people. This is about the underlying and continued systems of disenfranchisement, poverty, and inequality in Guyana. Unfortunately, many of President Ramotar’s initiatives have so far not uplifted the poor who need the most support; certainly not the G$31 billion investment on the Airport Expansion Project or the G$12 billion Kingston Marriott Hotel, or the billions needed to build the Specialty Hospital. Though these Ponzi scheme Projects may make a few Guyanese super-rich from the commissions they receive for every deal; they nonetheless continue to undermine the fabric of the Guyanese society as a whole. We call on the government to make the agenda of the poor their primary focus. To do otherwise would be failing all Guyanese.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

 

 

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