The Granger administration has propelled Guyana into progress

Mar 29, 2019 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

It is my humble opinion that given the current state of Guyana and the depths from which it has risen over the past three and a half years, that there is very little room for dissatisfaction. We all have an ideal and at the risk of repeating a cliché a “utopian” aspiration for Guyana. While Guyanese can’t claim that we live in the best of societies, we are en route to a more perfect society, and as a result, we should not just look at the height of progress made but the depth from which Guyana came. Guyana in my experience came from a desperately dark past steeped in corruption, drug trafficking, human rights atrocities, domination of civil rights by the PPP and rampant crime. Growing up as an adolescent in Linden under the Bharrat Jagdeo administration, the policies of the then government instilled a fear and uncertainty of the future as my community was neglected and economically starved due to perceived political allegiance not profitable to the PPP. No chance was given through the fair provisions of opportunities for the newly politically self-aware youngster in Linden to feel fairly treated or equally important under the PPP and basically made the decision to be anti-PPP for us. The intentions were clear, in that you were unwanted and rejected in the country of your birth because of your community of birth and even your ethnicity.
For example, in 2012, Linden underwent what is popularly known as ‘The Struggle’ where the mining town was shut down and blocked off due to a rejection of the removal of subsidized electricity. It saw residents fighting for what they viewed as a matter of survival. Among all that turmoil was the disruption of normal life, a young student from the Mackenzie High School persevered and excelled at her exams. While at an award ceremony organized by the Ministry of Education, the then Minister of Education, refused to recognize the young child’s amazing achievement by refusing to call her name and allowing her a just recognition of her strength, bravery and perseverance. Couple to that, a former president refused to meet his suffering citizens in Linden during ‘The Struggle’ but instead sent his armed forces. The actions of the former president and the actions of the former Education Minister echoed the perceived sentiments of the PPP to Lindeners; that the PPP does not care for you, that the PPP is not a government that sees Linden as important and that there is no refuge for your troubles in the PPP. Linden bears the name of a past president and opposition to the PPP and under their rule (PPP) changed the narrative of Linden from a blossoming town to the one synonymous for hardship and poverty, as if it were payback and punishment to the ghost of former president Linden F.S. Burnham. I’m sure every Guyanese knows a ‘Linden so hard’ joke that stereotypes the perceived existence of Linden. The policies of the PPP government took more than an economic toll on Linden but it also had far-reaching social effects. Due to the unavailability of jobs, homes were torn apart as parents left their families behind seeking employment outside of the region and further abroad. It is amazing nevertheless, the resilience of the people of Linden, that through all the hardships, Lindeners never turned to crime and drugs as you would expect such a depressed community to do. Beyond Linden, it seems that the stance of the now opposition party (PPP) is simple arithmetic, in that Indo-Guyanese out number Afro-Guyanese enough to have a plurality of the vote and there is no need to mature beyond racial politics. No effort is placed into genuinely appealing to the issues that affect Guyana as a whole and seek cooperation to tackle them as a united nation.
There are allegations of disrespect of our first people by referring to them in a derogatory racially insensitive manner, the circulation of a paper in indigenous communities claiming that this current government intends to replace our true first people with the Afro-Guyanese, the ‘take back our country’ campaign call that was racially charged and fear mongering threatening Indo-Guyanese with violence from the army if they vote for APNU+AFC collation. In my estimation of the leader of the opposition, I believe that he is a threat of injury to the public good and a danger to the health of our maturing democracy. Jagdeo had his terms in office and they were wildly unsuccessful as it polarized the nation and continues to bring discord in the party of his origin. Mr. Jagdeo comes from a communist party, is Machiavellian in tactics but claims to be the defender of democracy. That is a claim Guyanese cannot afford to trust as the last time we did, it plunged the nation into a pariah state blacklisted by several watchdog groups and in constant fear and morning as the drug lords bloody battles stole the lives of hundreds of youths. Note, Jagdeo is not the presidential candidate but given the current handling of Irfaan Alli as a side-piece and second fiddle in the campaign, I would expect no different should the PPP regain power but the continued domination of Jagdeo in the affairs of the state. I expect he would run as the prime ministerial candidate or Minister of Finance in a never before experienced oil wealthy country. When comparing the PPP’s and Jagdeo’s track record to that of the three and a half year term of the current coalition, I submit that the Granger administration has propelled Guyana into progress further than the Jagdeo and Romatar administration did in its 15 years. Guyana elected the APNU+AFC government on a hope that we could as a nation put the troubles behind us and experience a good life. Today, we no longer have hope but an assurance and in some cases, a lived experience of the good life.

Yours respectfully,
Kenny Valladares

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