Trying to change David Granger

Jul 19, 2015 Features / Columnists, My Column

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The recent heavy rains have taught many people some things about President David Granger. For the second time since he acceded to the presidency he got up in water. I remember making a joke about him waking up during the first flood and yelling after he stepped into a cold lake.
On that occasion I said that he yelled so loudly that he scared his security guards, one of whom fell of a drink box on which he was standing. But joke aside, I learnt some more about the simplicity of the man. He had the option of moving out of the flood waters and into State House, but he did not. The second rains came and it was a repeat of the first occasion.
This is a man who refuses to seek the finer things in life. I suppose he would say to himself that he has them all – a great wife, a roof over his head and grown children who seem incapable of getting into trouble.
He is strong, mentally. I remember those mornings when I would leave home about five for my morning jog and I would see him walking along Homestretch Avenue to do his two miles every morning. On those occasions when we walked together we would talk about the things in Guyana, none of us (perhaps I better talk for myself) thought that he would actually get a chance to do something about it.
I have been picturing my president picking up the rugs on the floor and fetching them outside to get the sun. This is a man who never moved away from the everyday people, doing the things that they do and suffering along with them.
He is supposed to move into State House by the end of this month, and I am certain that he is not looking forward to that move. For one, he would be at a loss to occupy the immense space in which he would be ensconced.
I am also thinking about his wife, Sandra, who over the years has been cooking for herself. As ordinary people they don’t care too much for people fawning over them, so the time comes when David and Sandra must get accustomed to having people doing things that they have been doing for themselves.
But that is only a part of the story. The rest has to do with his determination to make his mark on a society that is begging for someone who cares to change their lot. When the previous government decided that old age pension should be $8,500 a month, President Granger immediately asked for a meeting with President Donald Ramotar and managed to get the old age pension hiked.
I have never known a president in this country who, less than two months into his presidency, has had to confront so much. He ran head-on into the threat by the Guyana Sugar Corporation to shut down operations. He has dealt with that, but no sooner had he tackled that problem than he had a bellicose Venezuela making him spend some sleepless nights.
There is the threat of a cut in fuel supplies from Venezuela and this must be addressed. Of course Trinidad has offered to step in, but it is a question of money, which is not at a premium.
I have been wondering whether he has one spiteful bone in his body. I was there when the Office of the Presidency hosted an impromptu birthday get-together. He looked at the people around and simply said that he saw people who had served four presidencies. He told them that he was not there to take bread out of their mouths but to ensure that they get a better life.
But enough of my maudlin about him. He has to do so much and although he is still less than three months into his presidency people expect a lot, more than they expected of the previous government during its twenty-three years in office.
People know that there was rampant corruption by his predecessors, but so far no one has been brought to book. They want something to be done for young people, many of whom believe that their fortunes lie in the streets. Where is the promised Guyana National Service? That was an institution that helped to fashion so many lives. I always point to Paul Slowe, one of the products of that institution. There were the many carpenters and masons who fashioned most of the homes around.
Of course, President Granger has said that the institution would be reintroduced and of course, the old criticisms would resurface. But those who criticize also want him to put a lid on crime, and he knows that everything ends up at his door. He said so himself.
His team is also trying to do a lot but things seem to be moving so slowly, largely because change does not come overnight. For one, there has been remarkable success against crime. None has gone unsolved since David Granger acceded to office. This is just one of the positives, although there are more.
Some claim that there has been a slowdown since the change in government, but this is more imagined than real. It was the same when people said that crime had spiked. But David Granger cannot stop to linger over these things. He still has to make some improvements in the life of public servants. His Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, says that there will be.
Should this happen by the end of August when the budget comes out, David Granger would once more be in the midst of celebrations, even if he has to look at the proceedings from the huge halls of State House, a place where he does not want to go, but he must.

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