Government must attend to the poor

May 19, 2015 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
Every party in every one of our elections campaigned with a promise to lift the lives of poor from the bottom of society to middle class status. But once in office, the poor are far removed from their agenda. The exceptions were the Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan administrations which poured a lot of resources to lift the lives of the downtrodden and neglected communities.
Cheddi and Janet were genuine politicians. They were among a few who worked tirelessly to uplift the poor.  Poverty did decline under the PPP administration over the last 23 years. But in general, the poor were only needed for their votes and at times a bone was thrown their way to keep them quiet from barking and stirring up trouble.
Hardly a politician cared for the poor, with the governments subscribing to the economic policy that the rich, through their investment and government contracts, would lift the poor out of poverty. It is hoped, although I won’t hold my breath, that the new government will be different from its predecessors and provide ample opportunities (including contracts to small and start-up businesses) for the poor to rise out of poverty.
Several well-intentioned and well-meaning individuals (myself included) proposed policies that would help the poor, but these were not supported by governments throughout the Caribbean region. None of my ideas to help the poor were ever considered in my recommendations to politicians around the region.
Politicians don’t really care about the poor. During the PNC dictatorship, poverty rose to around 70% of the population.  Over the last 23 years, the poverty rate declined to around 30% – so much progress has been made. But so much more could have been done if money was not wasted on inadvisable policies.
After Panday became PM in Trinidad in November 1995, I submitted a proposal to his government to address the needs of the poorer sections of society. They were simple acts that would benefit the poor.  He showed no interest, as he became infatuated with the parasitic class; many felt he had become a member of that class.
A group of Indian medical doctors from Jamaica Hospital and other neighbouring hospitals had approached me (through Mohan Sahabir of NY) to speak on their behalf to carry out voluntary, free clinics, and surgeries in Trinidad to help the less fortunate.  Panday’s administration was approached but voluntary service was discouraged, as the group was specifically told it would impact on the money-making business of the private medical institutions.
The doctors, like me, were most disappointed. Some of the Indian and Guyanese doctors over the years undertook medical outreach programs in Guyana among poor communities, but still not enough is being done to help poor people with medical issues.
The Panday administration, like the Manning administration, was not genuinely interested in helping the poor.  And in Guyana, although the PPP reduced poverty, much more could have been done to raise standard of living had the opposition cooperated with the government. Proposals to help the poor were often ignored.
The poor have been viewed as a burden on society. In general, politicians don’t care about them and wish if they could just go away. I have dealt with politicians in too many societies proposing policies on how to lift the poor. They trample on the dignity of the poor. They never walk the talk of their nice, good sounding policies. They hardly ever deliver what they promise. Politicians say one thing in public, in speeches filled of rhetoric of what they will do for the poor. But once in office, they forget what they said.
Politicians (from the government side) will soon hide from the poor, because it will be difficult to deliver on all the promises. It won’t be long from now that they will stop answering their phones and hide from constituents and even friends, and those who fund them for the campaign.
It has always been this way. The only politician who did not hide from people in need of something or to address a problem was Cheddi Jagan. He was among the most honourable of all Guyanese politicians.  He was caring and compassionate, especially towards the poor and working class; he lived for them.
There still are a few politicians who truly care for the poor and less fortunate. Nagamootoo is one of them. I remember one of his partners complaining to me that “all Moses cared about is to do free (charitable) work for the work and not make money. When he was a Minister and a PPP M.P, he had limited power, clout and influence to execute programs to lift the lives of the poor. He now has an opportunity as PM to lead the government in parliament and propose policies to help the poor.
At one time, Moses told me he so wanted to help people but was in no position to help them because his colleagues were not cooperative.  For inexplicable reasons, his colleagues did not allow him to serve party members and those who helped build the party.
After every election, virtually every handout went to newcomers and the financiers. I don’t think it will be any different now. But I still hold hope that this administration will be different.
Vishnu Bisram

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