There is consensus about the deplorable state of the nation, but what about the solution?

Dec 30, 2014 Letters

---

DEAR EDITOR,
As Guyanese say goodbye to 2014, corruption, crime, poverty, growing disagreements, unease and tension may likely worsen in 2015 as the economy weakens, unemployment and homelessness increase and the impending election nears. Despite marked political differences between the minority PPP regime and the majority opposition, there is remarkable consensus about the state of the nation: stark inequalities between the rich and the poor permeate the society; the poverty gap continues to increase, a large section of the population remains marginalized, the poor and the working class lack access to comparable resources enjoyed by the rich and powerful; unending blackouts and floods continue unabated, and far too many are denied opportunities to be productive members of society.
Many young people are deprived of reliable education, health and other services as well as employment; a number of them are beaten and brutalized by the police and are forced to take the blame for crimes they did not commit and are wrongfully imprisoned. Inevitably, hopelessness and despair have taken hold on the people, especially the youths, who have degenerated into frustration over their inability to lift themselves out of poverty, influence decision-making, and hold the minority PPP regime accountable for their partisan, corrupt and dictatorial actions.
A large proportion of socially- and economically-excluded individuals and communities throughout the country are facing multiple deprivations such as jobs, electricity, water, housing and high levels of poverty, all of which are potentially destabilizing.
The poor are crying out for their rights to be recognized, as a whole section of society suffers continued discrimination and abuse and there is little or no joy this government brings to them. As a result of the government inaction, some of the institutions that are there to protect our freedoms and our democracy are stuttering, confused as to their roles, and are dazed by the evolving “don’t-care” political culture of the PPP regime. The PPP has not only failed the people but they have turned Guyana into a corrupt, backward and failed state.
All Guyana has is a government that keeps reeling from one scandal after another and from one corrupt practice to another.  Desperation, infuriation and frustration are some of the recurring emotions evoked in the citizens as a result of these all-too-frequent scandals and massive corrupt practices. The scandals to which we refer are not the personal dalliances of political figures, such as cheating husbands or wives. We are instead referring to the misuse or misappropriation of public funds; corruption, nepotism; cronyism; the brazen appointment of PPP incompetents in senior management and leadership positions; the packing of state boards with unqualified and inexperienced PPP hacks who will ensure that contracts are awarded to friends and relatives in return for kick-backs; the lack of transparency and accountability in governance; vulgar and abusive behaviour of the former president and ministers; and the bizarre decision by the DPP not to charge the AG for obvious threats to Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall and his staff, to name a few. There is no joy in recounting the scandals—all of them egregious—they have brought the country to the edge of the abyss, staring down into a deep, unfathomable darkness.
Government corruption or more specifically, financial gain to the party faithful has a long history in the PPP. The phenomenon has seemingly escalated in recent years under the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime. This was described in a 2005 article by Marsha Gordon who states that “A remarkable difference between the PPP under the Presidency of Cheddi and Janet Jagan of the 90s is that the scandals shifted from maintaining political power to personal financial gains from the use of state funds in 2000 and beyond.”
The author suggests that the land deals at Pradoville signaled the beginning of this shift and apparently set the tone of what was to come. She goes on to state that “The scandals have spread from government to quasi-governmental bodies without shame; no accountability only excuses like youthful exuberance…” It was “Power and money, money and power, minute after minute, hour after hour.”
The questions the people must ask are: How do we break the cycle of corruption? How do we enforce transparency and accountability? How do we ensure that ministers are held responsible under the law and are held accountable for their betrayal of the public trust? What solutions can be found?
We believe that one obvious solution would be for the majority opposition to enforce transparency through Parliament, since this is not going to voluntarily come from the PPP regime. They just cannot throw in the towel by saying that they do not have the power to do more than what they are doing in exposing the wrongs committed by the PPP. We strongly believe that if the opposition has to manufacture that power, then so be it.
The media also has to be more proactive in ferreting out similar instances of corruption and mismanagement of public bodies, as Kaieteur News is doing. But the media should not be the only ones applying pressure. The Private Service Commission (PSC), Guyana Bar Association, Labour Unions, Religious Institutions and other civic groups should lead the way to make sure that the tax dollars are being used appropriately.
Guyana needs a peaceful revolution to bring about a change in the status quo. Any such revolution must be supported by fact-based information that can lead to constitutional reform. The country cannot afford to continue under the corrupt PPP or the cycle of swapping one party for another without major changes to the constitution, in which no one should be above the law.
Asquith Rose and Harish Singh

---

---