Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 10, 2016 Editorial
Apparently the government has forgotten why it was able to win the last general election or it just don’t care. The government was elected because of the grand ideas it sold to the people—less crime, the creation of tens of thousands of jobs, a plan to end corruption and rebuild the economy, and better education and health systems, among others. When in opposition, the APNU+AFC coalition has assured the nation that if elected to office, state-sanctioned corruption, nepotism and cronyism would end.
Further, the government reminded the people of the marginalisation of a section of the population, injustice, discrimination, favoritism, corruption and all the ills of the former government. It went to great lengths to highlight some of the illegal acts committed by some members of the last administration and promised to correct them. After all, the government had envisioned a society where morality and integrity in public life would be its highest priority and that it would serve in the interest of all. And contrary to its promise of zero tolerance on corruption, misconduct, or dishonesty by public officials, yet it willingly defended the drug bond scandal, the controversial trip to China and more recently, the convicted ambassador.
Now in power for more than 15 months, it seems that the government is attacking the working class by offering them a 10 percent increase in salaries when some ministers have been given a 50 percent increase in their salaries after being in office for less than three months. So far, there have been no policies to turn the economy around, create jobs, reduce the national debt, or even improve the lives of the masses. Some are of the opinion that the performance of the government is relatively poor compared to its promises. And while the murder and armed robbery rate has reached astronomical level, corruption and bribery have caused Guyana to be one of the most corrupt countries in the Caribbean and perhaps the hemisphere.
It is not far-fetched for one to believe that the coalition government even when in opposition was fully aware that crime was out of control despite the Police statistics which show that it has reduced over the past six months.
The government has also recognised that the high crime rate is due largely to the lack of proper criminal surveillance and the country’s porous border which has resulted in an influx of high powered weapons. But all the people have heard during the past fifteen months are excuses that they need more time. It is common knowledge that the Police Force is corrupt and until the government weeds out the corrupt cops and reforms the force, it will remain dysfunctional and crime will continue to spiral out of control.
That said, the President has stated that all is not lost on the crime front and that he will restore confidence in the people by putting an end to narco-trafficking which is the root cause of crime in the country. He promised the nation that the government will re-construct the anti-narco units and improve forensic and criminal surveillance across the country as well as border patrols. What the public got was a solid commitment from the president, but many are hoping that this will not be another empty promise.
While some are willing to give the government the benefit of the doubt, others have claimed that it had promised to reduce murders, but there are more bodies, skeletons and human remains being reported in the media almost every day. The government has also promised to file charges against those found culpable of corrupt practices, but after spending $145 million on audits and another $66 million on the State Asset Recovery Unit, only a former Minister and her assistant have been charged. It seems that the government has taken the people for granted and is trampling on the trust and confidence of the majority of people who elected it to office. That is a grave mistake.
LISTEN HOW JAGDEO WILL MAKE ALL GUYANESE RICH!!!
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