This is the stuff patriots are made of

Dec 24, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
The recent winning of the no confidence motion against the coalition Govt came as no surprise to me.
The Govt had lacked direction, they were under performing, the recent LGE results showed how little regard the populace had for the Coalition. While the die-hard supporters of the Coalition may see the vote of Charrandass Persaud as an act of betrayal, I see it as an act of heroism.
This is the stuff patriots are made of! Charrandass will go down in history as a true patriot. A man standing up for what he believes in –against all odds- in a moment where it really matters is a rare sight. One man with a mere “YES”, when it matters, made our democracy look like it could work for a moment. The name CharrandassPersaud will be revered and cursed for generations in the future
Where do we go from here? Elections within 90 days and a return to the lesser of two evils is looming on the horizon. Many will be ecstatic now but the burning question of constitutional reform is about to disappear permanently.
The PPP Party had encouraged its supporters to boycott the referendum to usher in this present constitution in the late 1970’s, on the grounds that it was not good for Guyana, while promising constitutional changes prior to winning the 1992 elections.
In power they found the constitution so suited for their purpose that they had to be forced into making minor changes in 2001. Having been out of power from 2015 they have been faced with the brunt of the asininity of the Constitution and not once have they spoken in favor of constitutional reform, because they saw the coalition faltering from the beginning. They trusted their chances of achieving “nirvana” once again under the said Burnham constitution. Now they seem well on their way- compliments of Charrandass Persaud!
A few days ago opposition leader Jagdeo, speaking about the governor of the central bank in relation to the sovereign wealth fund, said that he regard Dr Ganga as “a capable person, but he does not have the authority.
The Minister will determine what has to be done.” He further spoke of the green paper on the SWF. Saying “almost all of the people who will deal with this fund are to be appointed by the Minister of Finance. I said before, the macroeconomic committee, the investment committee and all the others, those people will be appointed by Jordan, and that is a big problem we have.”
Now! Where is the source of this evil or so called “big problem we have?”. Obviously! It is the constitution that gives the minister of finance that power. It would not be different with a PPP govt. We saw how NACIL operated under the hierarchy of the PPP. Had he been honest he would have cited the need for CR to change that.
Not once in the last three years did Jagdeo utter a word about the need for CR. The PPP is all about sleaze and graft and the public ought to fear a return to the PPP where State assets would continue to be sold out to their friends and family cheaply, as if it were their personal inheritance-given the laxity of the present constitution.
The coalition in their short reign seemed clueless. Their slogan-”the good life” drifted further away from the poor and middle class because of heavy taxation and extravagant spending to run the state’s bureaucracy.
Add some victimization and lack of accountability and you can understand how Charrandass felt and voted on his conscience! Had they kept their promise on CR, they would have left a legacy worthy of a few good words. Who knows! They may have even avoided the poison ivy of a Charrandass “YES” that brought about their demise.
Rudolph Singh

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