Don’t criticize the purveyors of gloom and doom

Dec 19, 2018 Letters

Editor,

There has been a quiet campaign to paint those who are critical of the APNU+AFC administration as purveyors of ‘doom and gloom’. This was further encouraged by the use of those words by outgoing US Ambassador Perry Holloway.
As a frequent critic of the administration I would like to ask those who express such sentiments what else can one do in the face of such incompetence? The APNU+AFC is our elected government, they make decisions that affect our daily lives and the nation’s future.
We can hold hands and sing Kumbaya as the boat goes over the waterfall or we can be vigilant and strident in warning our captain that there is danger ahead. The alternative is to follow Mr. Holloway to America.
Editor, here are two examples of why one has to be vigilant; the announcement of construction of a new ‘state of the art’ abattoir to solve our foreign beef import problems was announced by the Minister of Agriculture. Missing in the announcement was any detail of the size of our beef import bill, the amount of cattle available for slaughter that are not being serviced presently and any evidence of a need for such a facility.
It is the absence of supporting information that continues to drive criticism, are we building the slaughterhouse before we build the herds? This may well be the policy and if so it would be helpful to know. Dadanawa The largest ranch in the Rupununi, is said to have a stock of 3000 cattle well down from its 27,000 in the 1970’s and Parara, home to 5000 at that time is home to none.
APNU+AFC seem to be building a solution to a problem that does not exist and in anticipation of an imaginary need.
The second example is one of Chickens coming home to roost, we have all heard of the possibility of a natural gas power plant with the stated delay being the location.
ExxonMobil has completed its work and is ready to begin construction of the plant. The real holdup is lack of a local company to build it. ExxonMobil is insisting on Local Content and the company that would have been capable of building such a plant, the local Wartsilla Company, was gutted of employees by Minister Patterson in a de facto takeover and is no longer functional.
So the shortsighted move to take the GPL maintenance contract from a private company has now backfired and our nation has to bear the consequence of the delay.
Editor, the instances of wastage and corrupt practices are well documented because citizens are willing to stand up and speak out. Citizens have a choice of wearing the tag of ‘doom and gloom’ as a badge of honor in a time of great mismanagement or we can all start a chorus of “Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya, Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya”.

Respectfully
Robin Singh

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