ACTION IS NEEDED TO MOVE GUYANA FORWARD

Nov 26, 2014 Letters

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Dear Editor,
As the controversy surrounding the no confidence motion and the proroguing of Parliament by the president unfolds, it has become apparent that there has been dishonesty and a serious lack of credibility by the PPP regime.
Guyanese from coast to coast are angry with the PPP rule by decree because they have never experienced this type of dictatorship before by the same PPP regime that claimed to be democratic.
For the record, the PPP was never a truly democratic party, it started out as a Communist party with dictatorial tendencies but after being in the opposition for 28 years, it buckled under the pressure of the United States to change its communist ideology prior to winning the election in 1992.
After eight years in office, the PPP reverted back to raw dictatorship under Jagdeo and now Mr. Ramotar who prorogued Parliament and chose to rule by decree.
The PPP regime cannot be trusted and its rule by decree cannot be allowed to continue. Its track records in accountability, transparency, good governance and honesty are unimpressive, resulting in massive corruption, cronyism and nepotism which is in their DNA. This is a very corrupt, brutal, dangerous and dictatorial regime that has lost the trust and confidence of the people.
Their standard of governance is the lowest ever seen in the entire Caribbean and perhaps the entire world. Proof of this lies in the fact that the President and his PPP cabal have embraced the disgraceful Attorney General despite his vulgar and obscene behavior and his statements of impending violence against Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall and his staff.
The role of the Chief Law Officer of any country is to protect the citizens of his/her country and not to issue violent threats against them or attempt to solicit sex from a young female reporter for his uncle.
It has been almost a month since the Kaieteur News tape surfaced in which the AG was heard issuing death threats against the staff of Kaieteur News and there is not a hint of any charges against him. As usual, we expect the DPP to say that there is not enough evidence to charge the untouchable and superior AG who is a CHATREE. But we are putting the DPP on notice that we are watching, the people are waiting; our CARICOM neighbors are looking and the world is observing her actions.
Guyanese are in a quandary and the only way out of this quagmire is a revolution. Not a violent or bloody revolution, but more of a political-cultural revolution to change the collective mindset of the people to force the PPP cabal out of office. Whatever the regime has been doing for the past 22 years is clearly not working for the masses because many are poorer today than they were five or ten years ago.
Guyana is one of the most indebted and corrupt countries in the world, with one of the highest crime and murder rates, the highest suicidal rate, the highest youth unemployment rate, the second poorest country after Haiti in the Western Hemisphere, and the first among its CARICOM neighbours to prorogue Parliament for no apparent reason.
Its capital city, Georgetown is the dirtiest and the most stinking in the world. Its wacked city council, dilapidated infrastructure coupled with its collapsing health care and decaying educational system have turned Guyana into fifth world country.
The leaders of the PPP, especially the less-schooled General Secretary have often heaped blame on the opposition for the woes of the country in order to hide their incompetency and their corrupt practices. But they are the ones who have screwed-up the country for the past fifteen years and the poor and the working class are now paying the price.
If Guyana is to survive as a country, the people have to stop the corrupt and inhumane PPP regime from marginalizing a large section of the population and from raping the treasury to enrich their friends and relatives.
PPP political tribalism must be weakened, but in order for this to be achieved, the sizable apathetic population needs to be roused from their slumber and take to the streets with APNU to make their voices heard.
To remain apathetic only serves to empower the PPP regime to do whatever they want to do and suffer no consequences.
The people can no longer remain apathetic as the PPP regime has repeatedly violated their rights, ignored the constitution and disrespected the majority opposition. The proroguing of Parliament was foolish and spiteful but for the do-nothing president and his cabinet to wrap arms around the disgraceful, foul-mouth and vulgar behaviour of the AG is highly immoral.
It also shows that the regime is so desperate that it will grab at straws to maintain its hold on power.
Let’s face it, the PPP is quite comfortable with the constitution they have criticized for over a decade and which they had promised to change upon gaining power but has refused to do so for the last 22 years. Instead, they have manipulated the constitution and if the people do not agitate for change it will probably never happen.
In order for change to be effective, the opposition has to educate the populace about what the constitution is, and how changing it would benefit them. For if the people simply sit and do nothing, they will face an even more ominous situation and will rightfully blame themselves for their misery. The power of the people is stronger than the people in power.
Guyanese must always bear this in mind if they are serious about changing the government and move Guyana forward.
Yours faithfully,
Derrick Arjune
Asha Balbachan
Rohit Misir
Allison Rutherford
Harish Singh
Chandra Deolall
Asquith Rose
Vincent Nauth
Devita Khan
Dr. Reginald Watkins
Donna Mathoo
Noel Moses
Vicki Rampersaud
Dr. Merle Spenser-Marks

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