Empty promises to a desperate populace

Dec 11, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

Election season in Guyana have started. Although my philosophy is antagonistic to most politicians, I engage in dialogue. I prefer substance over form. Soon political manifestos will be issued. Although, they are supposed to declare the programmes, positions and new ideas of the issuer, they are historically empty promises to a desperate populace. They only highlight the programmes but not its cost or drawbacks.
The government gets money via taxation mainly from citizens. Whatever programme a government offers will be paid for by taxpayers. They usually take from Tom and give to Ted. The wealthy usually have corporation trusts and foundation to legally deflect taxes.
Government officials usually live extravagant compared to regular citizen yet they claim that their salary is not enough. In the Westminster system, which Guyana employs, there is no effective mechanism to hold a government to honesty and fairness because law enforcement is under the control of the political directorates. The integrity commission is toothless and meant to give the appearance of transparency and accountability without negative consequences to the political elite. As Fredrick Douglass, an American social reformer, said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will”.
When election comes remember power corrupts, so don’t expect elected representatives to do the right thing if the citizenry is not going to force them. They will sell you dreams. Politics is an endeavour where politicians have many masters but only truly serve one and obviously it’s not the needy because they remain needy and through generations families remain poor. The empirical and historical evidence suggests politicians keep the people accepting the status quo by providing short term relief. Only the people can save the people.

Yours truly,
Brian E Plummer

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