Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 05, 2011 Letters
Dear Editor,
When one looks at Guyana and looks also at Mauritius, one truly understands how the PNC and the PPP failed us. That is why is it so important that more of our people discontinue from thinking race and vote for change.
We encourage the people to ask themselves that hard question – what have these two parties done for them that preserve their long term well-being? If the answer is not much, then a vote for the change from the PNC and PPP is the only option.
As we in the Alliance for Change (AFC) continue to ground with the people country-wide, with the latest meeting in Rosignol drawing some 500 people, we have begun incorporating the view of the people at these grounding sessions into our Action Plan (AP).
Our AP is clearly designed to transform our economy from the subsistence level that the PPP and PNC lorded over to a more value added structure. Our AP is clearly planned to drive the building of a more diverse economy especially with a focus on bio-fuels, jewellery manufacturing, alumina production, and IT services.
Our AP calls for a more democratic political system and in the new AP it will provide for even stronger social safety net, with clarity on our commitment to increasing the Old Age Pensioners to $11,000 per month in our first year in office after weeding out the 10,000 phantoms on the pension list. I wonder into whose pocket this $900 million of lost pension payments is currently leaking into every month?
Is it a marvel that Mauritius , a country which had a per capita income of $400 in 1968 (same as Guyana ), now boasts of a per capita income of $6,700 vs.Guyana’s $2,800, almost 2½ times richer? In Mauritius, 87 per cent of the people own their own homes, vs. where only about 58 per cent of our people own homes. The PPP must be credited for distributing some 80,000 house lots over the last 19 years and the AFC acknowledge this fact and commend the party for it.
But we will do even better; our vision is not to distribute house lots only but to create communities with playgrounds and community centre for people to grow as one people, one community with one destiny.
The real question on Guyana is not whether we can afford to provide a better life for our people but rather how can we better organize our society? An AFC Government will create constitutional institutions, which are beyond the controls of the Office of the President.
These constitutional institutions will lead the way in motivating our people to have higher levels of trust among themselves and facilitate higher levels of social cohesion. We know the greatest impediment to cooperation between workers, Government and employees is poor respect for each other and lack of trust.
These impediments must be fixed and our leaders will not be allowed to shout at the top of their voice that the opposition “has blood on its hands” without empirical evidence, contributing to the mistrust and lack of respect in our society.
Even a President Ramjattan can be sanctioned in the new AFC constitution if he undermines religious, racial and ethnic tolerance and respect. That is why I feel so strongly that I am serving with an angel because in our last conversation Mr Ramjattan re-emphasized his total commitment to the rule of law, respect for all races, all religion and all gender.
The AFC Government shall be committed at the highest levels of the Executive, to a better welfare system, motivating greater productivity from our people and to reducing the gap between the rich and the poor.
Unfortunately, this Jagdeo regime pays our elders starvation pensions; those at the bottom of the economic ladder starvation wages; all leading to more people engaging in a “survival of the fittest”, selfish lifestyle. This has only one conclusion – lower productivity and higher criminal activity.
Nations are never molded this way and it is clear that the PPP has lost the plot.
In the new PPP, it is all about the business buddies and the close friends of the ruling cabal. Everybody cannot be a PPP business buddy so an increasing silent majority continue to suffer under the PPP as the business buddies, many of whom are nothing but economic predators, continue to flourish at the workers’ expense..
The AFC recognizes that our people are our greatest assets, not withstanding we have land and abundant natural resources. Given Guyana religious, ethnic and racial uniqueness, proper education for all is extremely crucial for social unity.
That is why in an AFC Government we will target every single student, regardless of which school they attend (vocational, secondary, primary, etc), to help them to unleash their potential. In an AFC Government there will be no promotion to the next class up if you fail your school year, similar to what Minister Baksh and the PPP has instituted. This is the Jagdeo’s legacy to the future generation.
If a student fails his school year, under an AFC Government, he/she will be going to special remedial schools that will work closely with the Ministry of Human Services to professionally assess his/her home situation, social issues and the system will hold that child’s hands as a valued individual to help them climb the educational ladder.
Not everyone can be a doctor, but instead of being a school drop out, that child will pass and graduate from their school and move on to being a trained welder or mechanic or even a doctor or anything he/she dreams of becoming with adequate employable skills that empower him/her economically. Yes it can be done.
We in the AFC continue to recognize that the annual budget is skewed toward the friends of the PPP fostering the untenable situation of the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer.
We recognize that Guyana is still struggling with the inequality of land distribution with the poor saddled with high taxation and hefty house lots fees while the business buddies acquire hundred of acres of state lands at cheap “pepper corn” prices. This practice of ignoring the plight of the poor will stop in an AFC Government. Fairness in actions shall return to the land under the AFC.
Many have told us they wish they can come to our public meeting, it reminds them of 1979 and Walter Rodney but according to them “we ‘fraid of victimization”. We say to the people, if you are afraid, you do not have to come to our public meetings, we are OK with that, once you continue to read our KEY newspaper in print or on the website www.voteafc.com and on elections day you make the right turn and vote for the KEY.
Change is on its way and we encourage all to sit, think and decide – it is either more of the same or a new life.
Sasenarine Singh
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