Put a cap on the cost of Govt vehicles

Dec 15, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,

The late Dr. Cheddi Jagan once said that one cannot live a Cadiallic lifestyle in a donkey-cart economy. Guyana may have advanced a bit economically but certainly not to a point where Government ministers and other top officials feel justified in using taxpayer’s money to buy themselves luxury vehicles, some in excess of $15 million.
I think in the interest of financial prudence President Granger should order that a cap be placed on all Government vehicles to a maximum of $10 million. This, in my view, is not an unreasonable sum taking into consideration that these vehicles are exempted from customs and excise payments.
Public service is not about extravagance and conspicuous lifestyles. Rather, it is about providing services to the Guyanese people in the most cost-effective and prudent manner.
The true cost of these vehicles is not simply the money spent on them but what economists refer to as the ‘opportunity cost’ or the sacrificed alternative. In other words, it is about how many more drugs, for example, could have been procured were it not for these luxurious vehicles.
As we continue to observe the remaining days of the birth centenary of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan, we should take some time to reflect on the work and teachings of someone who dedicated his entire life for the cause of a better Guyana and whose lifestyle exemplified honesty, integrity and modesty.

Hydar Ally

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