Along came the APNU-AFC coalition with hopes and promises

Feb 26, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
This an appeal and a clarion call to all Guyanese of conscience to organize and take a stand against 50 years of what the man in the street would refer to as “Eye Pass”. For over 50 years the Guyanese people have been deceived, mistreated and marginalized by the two major political parties. First we endured 28 years of dictatorship by the PNC. We watched Guyana become the poorest nation in the western hemisphere as the country spiraled downward plagued by economic stagnation and abject poverty. Institutionalized bullying and hooliganism became the order of the day.
It was the era of kick-down-the-door bandits and long lines.. A long line for sugar, rice and flour, and another long line at the embassies where well to do Guyanese stood in line stealthily seeking an escape from Mr. Burnham’s hell. Following this period, the country enjoyed a brief moment of respite presided over by President Hoyte, and to a lesser extent President Jagan. Following the death of both Jagans, the country once again became haunted but this time by a different monster – thievery, corruption and extra judicial killings.
We witnessed a young President Jagdeo and the PPP inaugurate the most corrupt administration in Guyana’s history. This group stole and pillaged all the wealth of the nation. They ushered in a new class of nouveau rich and of freshly minted millionaires on the backs of the poor and working class, This PPP also brought us, extra judicial killings, the Bartica and Lindo Creek massacres, and the assassination of a sitting minister and the now infamous phantom squad. To date no one has been brought to justice or held accountable for these crimes committed against the Guyanese people and against the state.
Along came the APNU-AFC coalition with hopes and promises for a renewed Guyana, a new dispensation, and once again the Guyanese people have been deceived. Since Mr. Granger has neither the genius of Mr. Burnham nor the cunning of Mr. Jagdeo, his administration has been a combination of the worst in both. The coalition’s brand of petty bullyism and amateurish corruption is made worse by the sheer incompetence of the actors. President Granger’s cabinet will no doubt, go down as the most unqualified and inexperienced team ever to lead Guyana. In fact the names of some of our ministries tells a better story about the current state of affairs in our country – Social Cohesion, Social Protection, Public Security, and Public Health to name a few. Taken together it all sounds like a nation badly in need of an intervention.
In the meantime, way past his intellectual prime, the president prides himself as an incremental thinker in a world that demands exponential thinking. A world governed by Moore’s law where change is rapid and exponential. For his part, the President struts his hour upon the stage and can be seen happily sleep-walking through one questionable deed after another like the proverbial ostrich with his head in the sand. His demeanor screams loudly “OUT OF TOUCH”
As our nation continues to teeter on the brink, where are the voices of dissent and accountability, the voices claiming to represent the people, those voices that were so loud when the coalition was in the opposition? Eric Phillips has gone silent, he is on the government’s payroll, David Hinds is at best nuanced, he too is on the government’s payroll, Freddie Kissoon has written a few articles but seems much more concerned with psychoanalyzing the PPP. He has resorted to doing exactly what he berated Ravi Dev for doing when the PPP was in power, “fiddling while Rome burns”.
On the other hand criticism from the PPP and their supporters can hardly be taken seriously. Former presidents Jagdeo and Ramotar presided over the fleecing of the nation. They cannot speak. Anil Nandlall, Hydar Ally, Ralph Ramkarran and Clement Rohee et al were all complicit and co-conspirators. There is no moral high ground from which they can speak. As such they all lack the requisite legitimacy and credibility to be taken seriously
Editor, perhaps it is time for Guyana to look for something radically different. Perhaps a new class of non-politicians from among civil society deserves a chance. For starters, apprenticeship or active membership in any of the major political parties should be an instant disqualifier. Such a person or persons seeking leadership should categorically be rejected as unfit. The country can no longer afford to recycle the past.
Gary Thompson

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