Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 03, 2012 Letters
Dear Editor,
President Ramotar often gets upset whenever he is criticized for not leading from the front and showing the people a clear, coherent direction of his economic plan, his strategies to fight and reduce corruption and crimes, and where he intends to take the country. His most recent statement on December 2 in Kaieteur News “We can’t say that one man can click a finger and stop it [corruption].
We can probably make noise and try to make propaganda by going on the spot and those kinds of things, but the real way is to establish systems and close whatever gaps there are,” have once again questioned his poor leadership style and placed it on the public agenda for serious scrutiny.
For him to make such a silly statement after being in office for a year, not only highlights his ineptness and lack of leadership skills but also shows that the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal tolerates corruption and will do little or nothing to bring an end to it. In essence, what Mr. Ramotar is telling the nation is that corruption has become so embedded in the system that his minority PPP regime does not know how to fight it and has no strategy/plan to do so at the moment.
Further, for Mr. Ramotar to say that “To really bring an end to corruption, we have to not only have the system, but the system has to be managed and policed properly to ensure it works”, clearly suggests that he is weak and non-productive and lacks the courage and decisiveness to implement policies to fight and reduce corruption. Why after one year in office, Mr. Ramotar has not put a system in place to bring corruption to an end?
His seeming silence on corruption, infrequent connection with the people and no sound economic program to jump-start the economy and improve the lives of the poor and the working class must be taken to mean that he is tired, worn-out, confused and pre-occupied with the Jagdeoites, to maintain control of his minority government. We instruct Mr. Ramotar not to listen to the Jagdeoites who have enriched themselves with the state resources but to take note of his three former PPP colleagues, Ralph Ramkarran, Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan on how to end the corruption curse on the nation.
By now one would have expected Mr. Ramotar to use the power and prestige of his office to mobilize broad public/private partnerships to jump-start the economy and put in place some serious policies to end corruption, which has plagued the nation for over a decade.
This is urgently needed, particularly in light of the fact that his minority government is going to be hard-pressed to pass the 2013 budget, which is being prepared by the Finance Minister without any serious consultation and input from the majority opposition.
As the nation awaits the 2013 budget, a lot is riding on a clear and decisive policy direction from Mr. Ramotar and his minority regime on the reduction of crime and corruption. It is long overdue!
But Mr. Ramotar and his PPP cabal seem bent on making the Rohee affair the most important issue in the country while ignoring the sufferings of the poor and the working class and the unbearable living conditions of the mothers and children of Plastic City.
Why Mr. Ramotar and his cabal continue to put all their energies and focus to defend the incompetent Minister of Home Affairs, only they know.
Honestly, we are not sure about the outcome on Rohee at the Privileges Committee but the details of aspects of the inquiry thus have some concerns. We hasten to stress that these concerns stem from years of Rohee’s poor performance and incompetency as the security Tsar of the country.
By admitting that he is not a security visionary and does not intend to become one, will not help his cause. The Police Force needs a competent, visionary and experienced leader, who is willing to implement some drastic reforms to solve and reduce the menacing crime rate.
One indisputable fact is that the Police Force and the country will be better off without Rohee, who is bent on punishing those under his command for speaking the truth. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ramnarine is a classic case of his spiteful actions. Such actions have divided the Police Force. The Police Force needs togetherness, not divisiveness. A professional Police Force is the best asset this minority PPP-led Government and the citizens and non-citizens of Guyana can hope to have to reduce crime and corruption.
The propaganda, distortions and untruths that are being staged on NCN-TV by some in the PPP will not cut it. Thus, we say to Mr. Ramotar to man-up and accept the decision of the majority in Parliament on the no-confidence motion and move on with the people’s business.
To do otherwise is to ignore the wishes of the majority, which could undermine Guyana’s democratic process. We caution the minority PPP regime not to show its two-faces; that is to claim that they believe in democracy but seeks to undermine it when it does not work in their favour. This is hypocritical.
Finally, this business of the PPP projecting Mr. Ramotar as someone who can lead the nation is empty and self-serving.
Mr. Ramotar does not have the gift of leadership or the requisite skills and ability needed to lead the nation. Decisive and courageous political leadership is badly needed to reverse the stagnant economy, growing crime menace, rising corruption and the expanding illegal trafficking of drugs.
There is no excuse for political leadership that lacks vision and the courage to take bold actions (especially with respect to crime and corruption) to solve the serious problems of the day. Mr. Ramotar is just a regular politician who says what the people want to hear but will not do what they want done.
He is yet to stake his reputation on anything that will benefit the poor and the working class other than to sing the Jagdeo praises. He is no great leader and certainly no Moses Nagamootoo. We have always said from the get go that he was a poor and hopeless leader and that remains true today. Unfortunately, for the people of Guyana, they have to put up with him for at least the next three to four years.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh
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