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The working class are not benefiting in this stagnant economy

Apr 19, 2021 Peeping Tom

Dear Editor,
I applaud Dr. Vishnu Bisram for his attempt at conducting surveys to keep the nation informed of the population’s view of the government and their policies. No one else has been appointed to provide this service. With regard to the recent poll as published (KN April 18), the economy has been a challenge for this government as it was for its predecessor. Yes, this government has been managing the economy better than the predecessor coalition and people have more confidence in the PPP than APNU+AFC. But the economy has been stagnant over the last eighteen months and the working class and the poor have been feeling the pain and hurting badly more than the wealthy and business class. Not much has changed from August 2020 to transform the lives of the people at the bottom. More needs to be done by government to improve the loss of the population or else it will be a one-term government as the coalition was.
In spite of a change in government eight months ago, the economy has not turned the corner. Money has not been circulating. The $25K COVID cash grant gave a fillip to the economy during the Christmas season. But that was long gone after a week of purchases of goods whose prices have been steadily rising under this government. Goods are more costly than under the coalition in spite of a reduction or removal of VAT on many items. What is government doing about that?
The new budget has not begun to trickle down. Last year’s mini-budget made no dent in the economy as it benefited only a small group at the top and those with government affiliation or with high income. As under the coalition, only a small segment of the big business elite, though perhaps not the same group of business friends as under the last regime, has been benefiting under this government. Small and middle size businesses have been suffering with no letup in sight. Government contracts seem manipulated in preference of big business and political affiliates. The small man remains a victim as usual. His or her role, it seems, is only to provide votes for an electoral winner, not to benefit from government’s largesse or just to get government handouts like the small COVID grant.
Dr. Bisram should conduct an analysis on who got contracts from last year’s budget and under the new budget and how many kickbacks, if any, were paid to politicians and bureaucrats to steer contracts towards particular businesses or contractors. Are contracts being manipulated? Dr. Bisram should also conduct a survey on actual benefits received by the population, the middle and working classes in particular. His findings may be surprising.
Yours truly,
Thomas Whitehead

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