VICE News story should cause Govt. to tone down arrogance

Jun 26, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

The VICE news international story on American TV’s “Showtime” was a damp squib, but it should have severely humbled the Government side to come down from its high horse and ask how will that play out in the 2025 elections. Stories of corruption brought down the PPP in 2015. VICE did not provide any specific evidence of wrongdoing that the Vice President at a specific day and time, at a specific place, took a specific amount of bribe, from a specific person, for a specific project. What the show did was to raise many questions about the spectre of bribery and corruption that has bedeviled our nation for many decades and kept our nation in persistent poverty. Our President calls us, a rich nation of poor people. There is more in the mortar than on the pestle. The ABC/EU countries on World Press Freedom Day 2022 had given our journalists a hint when their joint press release stated, “Press attention to accountability has never been more important in Guyana with a historically large revenue stream entering government coffers and a regularly stated intent to use those resources for a development agenda that cuts across all regions and races. Outside of KN and SN, we do not have investigative reporters. To coin a new term, what we have are “Praise Journalism” or “Cheerleading Journalism,” as represented by folks such as Newsroom and the “Gaff Man” as President Ali has called him. That fellow should be called “Guyana Praiser,” or “Guyana Cheerleader,” not “Critic.”
I do not believe VICE wanted to show us as a “backwater country” nor do I believe it wanted to denigrate Third World leaders. They did give Mr. Jagdeo the title of “Champion of the Earth.” Third World leaders bring denigration upon themselves by the fleecing of their countries, siding with the rapacious business classes and impoverishing their people. I do believe that Vice News has “malicious” intent to smear Guyana/China relations, as the Chinese Ambassador has said. The clip by Mr. Biden in the show gave it away. The clip cited President Biden as saying, “China has an overall goal to become the wealthiest country in the world and the most powerful country in the world… that’s not going to happen under my watch.”
What VICE got right is that “Guyana is for Sale.” Both the PNC and PPP have sold us out. They say to Exxon and friends, just take everything and do whatever you want – 11+ billion barrels of oil and counting – and leave us a “lil freck” such as a 2% royalty. State assets are taken from national projects and given to private interests. The Government salivates as foreigners are brought in to take over our gold, lands, and critical natural resources. We push foreign franchises rather than build up our own local businesses, etc. Guyana is for sale but the money is not going into the pockets of the “small man.” As the song says, the “small man is the real man, when he dead and gone.”
Mr. Jagdeo is a PPP almighty “god” who is hugely popular and a rock star among the masses, including PNC supporters. He was our longest serving democratic President, and architect of our recovery from draconian PNC policies which left us just above Haiti in world rankings. (But Haiti’s currency is higher than Guyana’s!). He thinks he has more to give. Some say he is a “fifth term” President as he has an oversized role in Guyana’s politics, and is the Vice President of all things, crossing all ministerial and presidential lanes. To honour his legacy, we must name something after him such as “The Bharrat Jagdeo Skeldon Factory,” “Jagdeo Berbice Bridge,” “Jagdeo’s UG Berbice Campus,” or “Jagdeo’s Amaila Falls Hydro Project.”
The PNC side would most likely like to see the demise of Mr. Jagdeo as he has been a “thorn in the flesh” for them. People see Mr. Jagdeo as the one who can keep the PNC under heavy manners, as Mr. Norton seems quite inexperienced and clueless right now.
Both parties have had charges filed against their Ministers and top-level leaders. In 5 years, the PNC secured no convictions of PPP folks. Under the PPP, past top PNC Ministers and officials are facing specific charges of wrongdoing. Over the decades, neither the PNC nor PPP have clean hands. That’s why a new Third Force must emerge quickly to take back Guyana. It’s our wealth and our country, and we must support the nationalists among us who want poor people’s lives to improve now. We want the good life now! Wake up Guyana!

Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall

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