Latest update March 21st, 2025 7:03 AM
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TIME WILL TELL
The next general election is constitutionally due in 2020, but only if the coalition government stays together. Elections could be held sooner if the AFC quits the coalition and joins the PPP in a no confidence vote against the government. However, these are all assumptions. There is no immediate sign that the coalition will fall apart because the AFC is in a precarious situation. It could be wiped off the electoral map if it chooses to contest the next election as a separate party.
Since the last election, the AFC has lost much support nationally, but more so in Berbice where many of its supporters have returned to the PPP. This is due largely to the ingratitude and arrogance of its leaders since taking office. Many are of the view that the leaders of the AFC have become obsessed with power. In the local government elections, the AFC took a shellacking from the PPP in Berbice. Both of the districts where its two leaders are from on the Corentyne have voted overwhelmingly for the PPP.
However, when Guyanese go to the polls in the next election to choose a government, it is likely that the economy, jobs, the high crime rate and party loyalty will weigh heavily on their minds of how they will vote. They will likely vote for the party which they believe is going to keep them safe, improve the economy and provide a better life for them.
People want a better life for themselves and for their children. They live in an age of materialism which is associated with a higher standard of living and status, both socially and financially. If the vast majority of citizens should take stock of their lives and reflect on their financial position during the last twenty months, would they say that they are better off today? Some would say yes, others may say no.
Life is not easier for many Guyanese, especially the poor and the lower working class. They are struggling to survive because of the high prices for foodstuff and other basic amenities. Many cannot afford to purchase a house or educate their children. It seems that the promise of a good life for all could disappear with the 14 percent tax on the consumption of water and electricity. The people had hoped that the 2017 budget would not add to their hardships but it seems that they were wrong.
The government was elected to office on the promise to grow the economy, create jobs and provide a substantial increase in salaries to public/civil servants. Instead, the government has increased the salaries of several ministers by 50 percent and has offered civil servants only 10 percent increase. Many believe that the government has turned its back on the workers, including some of its supporters. Further, it has not fulfilled its promise to establish a Diaspora Department and this has reinforced the public belief that its leaders are elitist and it is not different from the previous administration.
There is no viable plan to improve the economy, create jobs and move the country forward. Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the jubilee celebrations and the numerous trips abroad by several ministers to woo investors, except for Exxon Mobil, foreign investment has been trickling in the country very slowly.
The government seems incapable of attracting major foreign investors or to effectively manage the economy and create jobs. Many seem to believe that its goal of sustained economic growth and to provide a better life for all will not materialize. There is also the belief that there are fewer business activities, fewer jobs and less circulation of money today than in the past. The truth is elections are essentially a referendum on the performance of governments, and the fact that most people tend to vote mostly on bread and butter issues suggest that this government could be in serious trouble in 2020. But time will tell if the die is already cast.
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