WPA brands President’s announcements as election gimmickry

Oct 15, 2024 Letters

– says not a genuine attempt to address country’s debilitating social and economic problems

Dear Editor,

President’s Ali’s recent address to the National Assembly has not unexpectedly aroused much discussion in the media, the political opposition and the public at large. That the president chose the National Assembly to give what was essentially a party campaign speech confirms the view in many quarters that the doctrine of party paramountcy is alive and well in Guyana.

Second, the speech, which includes at least three big policy initiatives long advanced by the political opposition, is a tacit admission by the PPP and the government that their opponents have generally been correct on what needs to be done to translate our recent economic growth into meaningful development. Third, the speech is also an admission that the measures which he boasted the PPP Government has implemented to increase disposable income to the Guyanese people have either been woefully inadequate or have failed to achieve the stated outcomes.

While the WPA generally welcomes the initiatives announced by the president as a baby step forward, we bemoan the fact that taken as a whole, they represent more of election gimmickry rather than a genuine attempt to address the country’s debilitating social and economic problems. Although electioneering is part of political life, any responsible government should ground its stewardship of the country in a broader framework. The proposals represent a hodgepodge of items aimed at preying on a populace tired of economic frustration and looking for relief from any quarter. WPA feels that these short-term relief measures will in the final analysis do very little to bring about sustainable change in the economic fortunes of workers, families and the poor. In this regard, WPA feels that Guyana urgently needs a sustained socio-economic development plan rather than mere temporary measures as outlined by the president.

Nowhere in the president’s address, for example, did he frontally confront the persistent poverty that continues to take its toll on the populace. It is estimated that approximately 42% of Guyanese live on less than US$5.5 per day. This is unacceptable in a country which boasts one of the highest GDP growths in the world. The WPA continues to believe that direct cash transfers to the citizens is one of the most potent ways to tackle this problem.

Towards this end, WPA takes note of the president’s announcement of the $200,000 cash transfer to each household. We recall that when Professor Clive Thomas first floated the idea in August 2018, Vice President Jagdeo said it was “technically unsound” and could not be even considered before 2030, “if ever.” Attorney General Nandlall said if implemented, cash transfers would “destroy families” and turn Guyanese into “parasites.” That the government has now embraced the idea, albeit in an unstructured, haphazard manner, is an admission of its own lack of economic foresight and paucity of ideas to meet the urgent needs of the new dispensation.

In the end, WPA feels the announcement smacks of political opportunism. Nowhere in the world has there been genuine development based on opportunism. Facing mounting pressures to address the skyrocketing cost-of-living and the widening gap between growth and development, the government has resorted to ideas from the opposition without giving credit to the latter. This is crass politics at its best that cannot be sustained.

While the cash-transfer should be welcomed by Guyanese, especially the poor and working poor, Guyanese should not be fooled. The government has embraced the form of the WPA’s proposal but rejects its essence. It is at best a haphazard undertaking that is potentially burdened with opportunities for corruption. First, the president gave no indication how the government arrived at the dollar amount. Second, it is a one-off payment rather than a structured sustainable initiative with a stated outcome. Third, it is not clear what distributive mechanism would be used to ensure that all the citizens benefit from it. Fourth, the government has not been forthcoming on its definition of “households.”

WPA feels that a viable cash-transfer policy must be linked to poverty alleviation. It must also benefit from a feasibility study to determine its scope and design. It must be grounded in law so that it is shielded from the whims and fancies of the political executive. It must specifically be a percentage of oil and gas revenues. Finally, it must be an ongoing government programme rather than a one-off government payout subject to partisan manipulation. WPA will have more to say on this matter in the coming weeks.

WPA welcomes the restoration of tuition-free attendance at the University of Guyana. But this initiative must be situated within a larger upgrade of the university. In the era of oil and gas, UG must become a Research One institution that feeds into the needs and demands of a Petro-State.

This should include salary increases for faculty and staff to, in the first instance, bring them on par with regional universities. The infrastructural upgrade of the campus must be central to the plan to make it a welcoming environment for faculty, staff and students. There should be investment in a new, modern library to enable students and faculty to access up-to-date publications and other research materials. Finally, UG should become a hub for Research and Development, particularly in areas such as renewable energy and related fields.

The proposal to raise the minimum wage to $100,000 is laughable, even as an election gimmick. Livable wages are not a priority for the government. It is bordering on social abuse to tout $100,000 as an advance in a country with Guyana’s growth rate. WPA believes that wages and salaries should be linked to the cost-of-living and the financial capacity of the government. We believe that all categories of labour should be treated as “essential” and “productive” and be compensated accordingly.

The other measures– development of airport infrastructure and transformation of the Zoo and Botanical Garden; biodiversity international center; new digital school; depreciation for poultry farmers; film production; drone and geographic information system department for the Guyana Defence Force; and aerial firefighting–must be balanced with adequately sustained social protection provisions for their success.

Sincerely,

Working People’s Alliance

election gimmickry, Letters, party paramountcy, Working Peoples’ Alliance

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