I’m telling President Ali, this is what Guyanese want

Sep 06, 2020 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

The world has almost eight billion humans, and a majority of them do not want to be in politics or want to be in the news. A majority of these folks would like to avoid controversy. A majority in the world’s population just wants to live a peaceful life with family, relatives and friends and enjoy what life has to offer.
My analysis leads me to believe that President Irfaan Ali, except sudden illness, is set to have two terms. I cannot see the other strong competitor, the PNC winning in 2025. I strongly believe it will not happen. Dr. Ali then has 10 years available to him to challenge the fame of Jagan, Burnham, Hoyte, and Walter Rodney and leave an everlasting legacy.
To shape a legacy, President AIi as early as last week, has to be aware of what most Guyanese want. When my daughter returned from London after higher studies, here is what she kept telling me and her mother. She missed the services in London. She said the sink was clogged, she called, and the university workmen came right away. She spent 20 minutes in the bank when she was closing her account.
Here is what happened to me twice in two different banks. At one bank, they wrote to ask me, my wife and daughter to come in to update our account. It has all three names. We spent four hours. You will not believe it but it is true. At another bank, we were sending money to London for my daughter. I was sick with the flu that morning. The entire transaction took three hours. I wasn’t feeling well and all the chairs were occupied. I bent my head on the counter to get some relief.
Here is what the people of this country want and President Ali has it in his power to deliver. It would be another Guyanese tragedy if he fails. When a person gets time off to go to the NIS and the boss just gives a half an hour, that poor employee will face hell because NIS will keep them for three hours for a simply transaction.
People want to see GPL come on time when a wire in front their home is sparking. GPL has one emergency crew for Georgetown and it has to come from Victoria on the East Coast where it is based. People want to see GWI come when they make a call to say a burst pipe is flooding their home. GWI does not do emergencies on Saturdays which in a modern world is nonsense. Today everything is done through the internet. People expect GTT to come the same day if their connection is severed and not two weeks after.
People want to enjoy life in this country when they are travelling with their families. They feel harassed when a traffic rank puts out his hand and stop them asking for papers. This happens at Eccles. By the time they reach Diamond, the same thing occurs. By the time, they reach Land of Canaan, the same thing happens again.
Guyanese want to make a call to the Lands and Survey, the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Forestry Commission, the Deeds Registry, the GRA, UG, etc and someone will answer for an urgent enquiry they have that is very important to them. It is virtually impossible to get on to any public institution by phone and the private business places are no different.
I swear on my parents’ grave that I spent 70 minutes just trying to speak to someone at the Bank of Nova Scotia. Service at the City Council is non-existent. The Georgetown City Council has no right to exist. All previous governments did not deserve to be in power because they ruled Guyana oblivious to the fact that we are in the 21st century.
Motorists want to see a boulder removed on the public roadway that is blocking their pathway but that object would remain for months. Guyanese drivers desire to have working traffic lights. The Guyanese people want to see street lights shining in the night so criminals can at least be deterred.
Guyanese simply want to take their loves ones to a public hospital for treatment and not have to wait 12 hours to see a doctor. President Ali, I am telling you a majority of people in this country do not care about the fights between Irfaan Ali and David Granger, PNC and PPP and who said what to whom in parliament. They simply want what a country in the 21st century must provide. They want the basic things and services in life they are entitled to in the 21st century.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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I’m telling President Ali, this is what Guyanese want

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