Henry Singh bates for PPP/C

Sep 14, 2022 Letters

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Dear Editor,

The letter, “The PPP cannot govern Guyana single-handedly,” by Desmond Alli, General Secretary, Guyana United Artists (GUA), in the Stabroek News, on August 7, 2022, got my attention, and I feel compelled to make a few remarks. Overall, the letter stinks of ‘wild generalisation,’ and is indicative of putrid emotionalism. I looked at some of the ‘supposed assertions’ but found no support in terms of evidence. So, I will look into just a few of them, as even just debunking one, will make my position quite clear.

First, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s cabinet is reflective of inclusion and balance in gender, age and ethnicity. The list of members inspire confidence (so please carefully read: Brig. Ret. Mark Phillips, Prime Minister, Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President, Mohabir Anil Nandlall-Attorney General, and Minister of Legal Affairs, Gail Teixeir, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Agriculture, Pauline Campbell-Sukha, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Charles S. Ramson, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Priya Manickchand, Minister of Education, Ashni Kumar Singh, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Hugh Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Frank C.S. Anthony, Minister of Health, Robeson Benn, Minister of Home Affairs, Collin Croal, Minister of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, Minister in the Ministry of Housing and Water, Dr. Vindhya V. Persaud, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Joseph Hamilton, Minister of Labour, Nigel Dharamlall, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Anand Persaud, Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Vickram Bharrat, Minister of Natural Resources, Sonia Parag, Minister of Public Service, Bishop Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Works, Deodat Indar, Minister in the Ministry of Public Works, Oneidge Walrond Allicock, Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Warren Kwame McCoy, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister.

I therefore invite Desmond Alli, and readers too, to compare and contrast ‘balance and inclusivity’ in the cabinet, during David Granger’s tenure (2015-2020-the last two years being illegal).
How about Permanent Secretaries? I do recall that in June 2017, Economist and Former Alliance for Change (AFC) Executive Member, Sase Singh, publicly called out Granger Government for creating a “situation of ethnic bias,” as 16 of the 17 Permanent Secretaries within the system were Afro-Guyanese. Desmond and others can also revisit cabinet composition under Granger. So, this talk about “PPP and their being single-hand” lacks empirical corroboration.

On this said issue, I ask the GUA General Secretary to interpret what was meted out to Former Legal Affairs Permanent Secretary, Indira Anandjit, who after meetings with both Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon on the matter of the ‘Law Books, and after vindicating her story, was still fired by Former Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, who said he had “… to ‘change the face’ of the ministry to reflect [that] there has been a change in Government.” PPP, after regaining power in 2020 could have reversed this, but it was left to slide. What a shame that Desmond Alli is ‘calling out the PPP’ when his accusations are perfectly describing the APNU/AFC’s practices when they were in power?

Let me move on now to where Guyana is currently and ask that doubters and accusers do the contrast of what was happening during 2015-2020 and precisely what the PPP/C inherited. As a caveat, we should not forget the havoc wreaked on Guyana during the Covid 19 pandemic, that was compounded with the unprecedented 2021 flood, when all of Guyana’s 10 administrative regions, with over 300 communities, were severely affected for a protracted period of time. The figures showed that approximately 52,000 households were directly affected, as the agriculture Sector suffered the greatest loss with 92,000 acres of farm and farmlands completed affected.

Here now are some direct moves that the PPP/C on made to ease the burden faced domestically by citizens, some were ad hoc, but others were simply part of their planned five-year agenda.

$5 billion in budget 2022 to ease the rising cost-of-living on Guyanese, Reversal of over 200 taxes and fees imposed by APNU/AFC, Reduced excise tax on fuel from 50% in 2021 b 10% in 2022, Freight cost restricted to pre-COV1D level to keep import prices down, $25,000 COV1D cash grant to every household, $1.3b to APNU/AFC severed sugar workers, Old-age pension from $20,500 to $28,000 between 2020 and 2022, Restoration of water and electricity subsidies to pensioners & over $200 million electricity credit to vulnerable households, Covid-19 relief hampers distributed countrywide, $25,000 in one-off payments to public servants in 2020, 7% across the board increases for public servants, $600m in two-week bonuses for 9,200 health workers, Increase of income tax threshold from $65,000 to $75,000, ‘Because We Care’ cash grant restored, increased and extended, Public assistance increased from $9,000 to $14,000 by 2022, and Over $7 billion in flood relief cash grant distributed etc.

Finally (and since it is senseless to go on), I call on Guyanese to never forget where Guyana was when APNU/AFC had to be ‘forced out legally’ after losing power at the March 2020 polls.

The record is there to examine and it shows that “At the end of April 2020, the public deposit account had been overdrawn by some $88 billion”, reflecting “a $10 billion increase from the month prior.” Add to this the fact that there was the sustained and massive deterioration of the account, that had a positive balance of just over $5 billion in May, 2015. This meant that this account alone was drained of some $9 billion, thus indebting each Guyanese, on a per capita basis, to approximately $120,000. It gets worse. Why? Guyana’s gold reserves were largely liquidated, “…with just a pittance remaining.” And as for the country’s financial state of affairs, it was revealed that “… our foreign currency reserves (were) below the acceptable threshold.”

Therefore, Desmond Alli is totally unfamiliar or equally bias. The PPP/ can indeed govern Guyana. This governance has so far proved effective, taking into account the cesspool that was left by APNU/AFC and dealing the adversities of Covid-19 and more than one massive flood. Governance is also quite inclusive, as is reflected in the cabinet composition, and for sure, it is devoid of ‘retaliatory’ politics (like what Basil Williams was all about).

Yours truly

Henry Singh

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