Party loyalists and activists getting increasingly frustrated over pay to play

May 27, 2021 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

As Mr. Glenn Lall stated on his radio programme, neither party wants to hold Exxon accountable or renegotiate the contract nor enforce local content rules. They lie to the people.
There is hardly any role for decent, hardworking political activists in getting jobs with government and honest businesspeople in landing state contracts. Both parties are alike on corruption when they were/are in government. The two tend to protect one another on the issue of corruption and in accepting kickbacks. It is like, “You thief and I will not send you to jail when I come into government and you would do same when you return to government.” It is continuous thieving but not all politicians are thieves; some are decent but have no political clout.
Has any businessperson, politician, government worker ever gone to jail for corruption even when evidence of fraud is overwhelmingly stacked against them? Both governments have dropped charges against those accused of state corruption. Eusi Kwayana rightly asked why are charges dropped against several accused? If you are corrupt and willing to give kickbacks, you will get contracts. If you lack integrity and willing to sell your soul, you will be hired for the highest and most lucrative positions to oversee big contracts from which huge kickbacks will flow. Take a look at who is appointed! Only absolute loyalists get the top positions; the political boss must trust you to carry out his instruction before you get high posts. If you are honest, dedicated and hardworking and not critical of the political boss, you will be given consideration for low level jobs or where small amounts of money flow. Politicians don’t trust honest workers. Political leadership has no interest in small amounts of money; that is not worth their while. The political bosses want for top positions those who know how to thief and cover their tracks.
On state contracts, if you are willing to pay, you can play. You are welcomed aboard the gravy train. It does not matter which party you supported in the past. These opportunists know politicians don’t care about party loyalty. They pay their way to get contracts and buy influence. Politicians care about their bank accounts.
A contractor from Lima, Essequibo abused and chased senior PPP functionaries, including Clement Rohee and Ali Baksh, from his premises and strongly supported the coalition from 2014 to August 2020. Has he bought his way back into the PPP? A company was awarded more than $400M for a dredge. This company was close with the coalition. Does this company still employ the Chair of NDIA? This is a pattern repeated all over the country by other contractors who supported the coalition and now switched to PPP. Once you pay, you are in. Even if you are a loyalist and you don’t pay, you are out. They hold hope that something will come their way and the leadership has them in a holding pattern telling them their time will come. It is a strategy to keep the loyalists in line till the next election when they will get something. If after 10 months, you won’t get anything.
Loyal supporters of PPP – contractors, professionals and masses – are taken for granted as it is assumed their votes will go into the cup in 2025. That pollster that predicts a PPP victory is wrong. PPP will get a rude awakening come next election. The supporters are not stupid in spite of what Amanza Walton-Desir says. They are waking up to lies and broken promises.

Yours truly,
Jagnarine K. Singh

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