This government does not have an impressive record

Jul 23, 2017 Letters

---

Dear Editor,
With no clear policy to create jobs and grow the economy, and with an unprecedented number of blunders, scandals, and corrupt practices haunting this administration, lies, deception and voter-fraud are the only options available to the APNU+AFC to cling to power in 2020. Not even campaign promises can get them elected this time around for we all know the APNU+AFC cannot be trusted to keep campaign promises.
The Guyana Chronicle of Sunday, 16 July quoted President Granger as saying, “We are actually looking at means to reduce the taxation burdens.” Ironically, this is precisely one of the strategies proposed by the APNU+AFC Re-election Campaign (REEC). The People’s Progressive Party has long been calling on the government to repeal the draconian tax burdens imposed on working class Guyanese since taking office, and the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has already said that he will rescind these immediately upon his party being elected back into office. So what’s new?
As I’ve mentioned in a previous letter, the Administration’s greatest fear is having to compete against a highly motivated PPP/C in 2020 with Bharrat Jagdeo as its Presidential Candidate. They will do everything to prevent this from happening, and are bold enough to risk tampering with the judiciary to achieve this objective. They have been using propaganda to fool the Guyanese electorate into believing that the People’s Progressive Party is corrupt and racist. All lies and deception that must now be challenged!
As mentioned above, President Granger has already started to tout the implementation of the strategy to ease heavy taxation. This is a serious admission that both the burdensome tax measures imposed by government in the 2017 National Budget and the 2 AM closure of bars and night-clubs by Minister Khemraj Ramjattan were unpopular among APNU+AFC supporters and could cost them votes in the 2020 election.
Our youth were knowingly deceived and used by the APNU+AFC during the last election, and they hope to “mamaguy” young voters again with the same strategy being suggested here. Not a word about implementing a plan to create jobs and opportunities for the youth as promised in the APNU+AFC 2015 Manifesto.
When the APNU+AFC came to office in 2015, it didn’t take long for the Granger Administration to start blowing out the over US$700 million left by the PPP/C in foreign exchange reserves at the Bank of Guyana. Ministers were paid hefty salaries ranging from $1.2 million to $1.7 million monthly; New luxury vehicles were bought for the President and his ministers, costing as much as $22 million each; The number of ministers were increased from 18 under the PPP/C to 27 plus the President under this Administration, with most ministries now run by a Junior Minister and a Senior Minister.
This incompetence obviously puts additional burden on the financial resources of the country to pay all these ministers fat salaries, provide housing for them, costing taxpayers as much as $500,000 per month; The spouses of ministers now travel with them first class at taxpayers’ expense, and some ministers are allowed to spend unlimited amounts as travel expenses without having to account for the spending of taxpayers’ money upon their return. The President travelled to the Bahamas on a chartered plane costing Guyanese taxpayers millions rather than flying there first class via Miami on a commercial flight for a fraction of the cost.
Then billions of taxpayers’ dollars were spent settling lawsuits that could have been won if we had a competent Attorney General that was half as brilliant as the one we had before. The Administration shamelessly wasted billions of taxpayers’ money on the bottom house drug storage bond and the D’Urban Park white elephant. But instead of cutting back on these elaborate and wasteful government expenditures, the Granger Administration is now forced to find other sources of income that would allow them to continue living “the good life”. Hence over 200 new tax measures have been imposed upon the Guyanese working-class in the two-plus years they have been in office. What a shame!
The other big lie propagated by this government to justify the failure to grow the economy and to provide jobs, is that money from the thriving illegal drug trade played a major role in boosting the under-ground economy under the previous PPP/C government. Well, if this was true, and this APNU+AFC government was successful in stopping this massive drug trade, why is it that SOCU’s big claim to fame so far is going after Jagdeo’s house in Pradoville 2 and Anil Nandlall’s Law journals?
Why aren’t these notorious drug dealers that ran the under-ground economy under the Jagdeo and Ramotar Administrations been arrested and brought to justice by SOCU and Attorney General Basil Williams? I’ll tell you why, because these are all lies made up by the APNU+AFC to get rid of the PPP/C. Just like the other “proposed measure” mentioned in Basil Williams email that reads:
The word “perception” used here is evident that they themselves do not believe this to be true. When compared to the number of Blacks holding prominent positions in the PPP/C, long-time PNC stalwart Anna Ally and a few others may be the only non-AFC Indians that hold a comparable position in the PNC/APNU. Fueling “the perception that the PPP is racist” may have worked in the past, but more Afro-Guyanese are willing to admit they were much better-off under the PPP/C that they are today under the APNU+AFC.
HARRY GILL
PPP/C Member of Parliament

---

---