Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 14, 2011 Letters
Dear Editor,
Fear has a shelf life; and for Guyanese it has expired. It is now time to fight back.
Mr. Editor, two days ago, my best friend said that to me, and I agree with him. President Jagdeo cannot help himself, and whatever religion he once found, he has already lost. I call on what is left of the free press in Guyana to confront and expose the lies that Jagdeo continues to peddle.
Recently, he again accused Mr. David Granger of crimes committed in 1973 on the Corentyne. Mr. Editor, maybe the President needs to be reminded that he is the chief executive of the country, and not a rabble rouser. If he has evidence that Mr. Granger is guilty of criminal activity, then he must instruct the Director of Public Prosecution to bring charges immediately. Failing to do so, would mean either that Mr. Jagdeo is a malicious liar, or an accessory to Mr. Granger’s alleged crimes.
Speaking on television (on NCN news), the President warned parents that the PNCR would have their children in the streets with boots and guns. Here again, Mr. Editor, we have Mr. Jagdeo taking liberties with the truth, and using the bully pulpit of his office to wage a campaign of fear and racial intimidation.
Mr. Editor, it is unfortunate that the PPP, in the form of the President, would seek to mislead the populace on an issue that should be engaging all the intellectual brain power of this nation: the state of the youth of Guyana.
Mr. Granger has said that he will seek to re-establish some form of National Service to retrain unemployed youth to re-enter the mainstream economy. That is a direct quote, and nowhere is there mention of boots and guns, the code words that the President uses to put fear in the hearts of some segments of society.
Mr. Jagdeo must know that his administration is guilty of neglecting the nation’s greatest treasure, our youth. From 1992 to 2011, an entire generation has been marginalised, left to fend for themselves. Many will not win the visa lottery, and will be condemned to a life of unemployment or under-employment, doing menial jobs for the drug barons or the nouveau riche, unable ever to enjoy the good life they deserve as citizens of our country.
Mr. Editor, we have all seen the decline of our young people, you have written on several occasions on the topic. We see the child beggars and the homeless.
In schools, we know that the dropout rate keeps rising, and that graduation rate keeps falling. The PPP continues to boast about their record of development, yet they fail to address their failure to invest in the youth of this nation.
Over the past decade, we have seen a steady decline in the proportion of GDP allocated to education. Spending in this area has dropped well below what is being spent by our CARICOM neighbours. At least Mr. Granger has articulated a plan, which means he is cognizant of the problem, but Jadgeo and his colleagues at Freedom House continue to embrace and reinforce the status quo.
In Illiterate or less educated societies, corruption is rampant in various forms, bribery, nepotism, etc. There is a certain lawlessness that can only be eradicated by governments that invest heavily in education.
Leaders realise that if their nation states are breeding grounds for this type of evil, it will be extremely difficult to put the country on a path to progress. No education, no progress. No education, no development.
Mr. Editor, lawlessness hinders the progress of development as nobody feels secure. The investors will not invest, and the builders will not build. Lawlessness means that the oppressors will be free to oppress the already wretched sections of the society who do not know where to go to get justice.
This means that heads of states like Mr. Jagdeo could go on television and engage in character assassination, and totally vilify his political opponents without fear of repercussions.
That is the state of lawlessness that engulfs Guyana today. Like my friend said, however: fear has a shelf life, and we must confront Jagdeo and the fear mongers.
Mark Archer
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
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