Guyanese working-class gradually awaking out of its slumber

Feb 21, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
The United Republican Party (URP) wishes to congratulate the Alliance For Change (AFC) for their decisive and unmovable stance in relation to the parking meter fiasco and more particularly their forthright objection to the treatment of Mr. Sherod Duncan. The URP also wishes that the AFC would get back to representing the people and be more un-hinged from the PNC.
This parking meter deal was a PPP-styled, crookish, and secretive undertaking. The beneficiaries are no doubt the PNCites in the Coalition and members of their cabal. It is therefore noteworthy that the AFC top brass in the parliament and cabinet took over a year to put a stop to this illicit venture. Maybe it is that they were finding their footing. Maybe it is because they were busy with other stuff. Nonetheless, the voters took note of their attitude and they have lost considerable ground on this front. They did not regain any credibility for their late objection to this parking meter failure. However, what their input did was validate Mr. Duncan and further catapult him as a political force to be reckoned with.
The Coalition should see the sizable objection to this unhealthy parking meter deal as a warning sign that the Guyanese populace is onto to them. This clarion cry for the overturn of the parking meter covenant and the oft-repeated protests should show the current administration that the sleeping giant of the Guyanese working-class is gradually awaking out of its slumber. As the saying goes; “You can trick some of the people some of the time: You can trick most of the people some of the time: You can trick most of the people most of the time: But you can’t trick all of the people all of the time.” Technology, access to current global information and a humanistic desire for a good life (the kind the politicians now live), are making it to where acceptable change is becoming a prerequisite for civil obedience.
The masses have seen and are seeing the protests around the world as humans stand up and demand what is rightfully theirs. The Guyanese citizenry in quick fashion understands that in Guyana nothing comes easy and without a fight. From the days of President Burnham, all through the PPP years to now, Guyanese have never gotten what is theirs. The politicians live like gods but the ordinary man has never gotten his due. From reasonable land ownership, to earning a living wage, everything in Guyana has got to be obtained by blood, sweat, tears and protest. And the Guyana residents are slowly realizing this fact.
The teachers had to march and protest to have the Smart City Solutions agree not to charge them for parking. The city businesses have had to protest to have the contract of the parking meter reviewed. The drivers have had to come out and picket the Mayor and City Council to get the rates reduced. All this happened but never without a battle.
Now the URP joins with those who are calling for the complete revocation of the parking meter contract. We are now convinced that this matter was illegal from its conception and therefore should not be allowed to remain. During the days of Jagdeo we had several secretive, crooked and scampish deals, which included the Marriott, the Berbice Bridge, the Amaila Falls, the Sanata Textile Mill, the Cheddi Jagan Airport, the Skeldon Sugar Factory, the Petro Caribe agreement and dozens of others undertakings that the audits have since revealed. We will not stand by and allow the Coalition to mount their own, crookish deals. Already they are several questionable transactions attracting the attention of the country that even Jadgeo wants to bring criminal charges against the government. When Jagdeo can say that someone is a scamp; when Jagdeo says he smells a rat, it speaks volumes!
So the URP is going on the record in asking the M&CC to scrap this pending parking meter deal. We agree with all the stake holders that Georgetown can do with some kind of traffic regulation, however, a contract which is illegal, oppressive and otherwise detrimental to the City of Georgetown, is not the way to go. We also would like to ask the AFC cabinet members and parliamentarians to use their Cummingsberg bargaining powers to bring a halt to this travesty. If one AFC man can bring the job this far, the host of the other ACF leaders can complete the task.
Dr. Vishnu Bandhu
Leader,
URP

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