Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 20, 2015 Editorial
Rhetoric has long been part of the political landscape. Political parties and politicians make statements to appeal to their members and supporters as a means of enhancing whatever they wish to enhance. It could be that they wish to enhance their appearance or to promote some course of action to justify some action.
It matters not that whatever the pursuit may be, it could be a failure. When there is a failure the politicians or the political party would seek to apportion blame elsewhere. Generally, the aim is to make the people feel that everything is alright with the political action, but that some outside force caused the problems.
For example, in 1977 when Guyana was in the grips of a financial crisis, the then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham announced a graduated wage and salaries increase over three years. Of course, unless production is at a premium, pay increases lead to inflation and Burnham knew this very well.
There were the increases over the first two years but the economy could not sustain another pay increase so to avoid rampant inflation, Burnham did not pay the promised increase in the third year. Of course the workers were disappointed but Burnham was glib with the rhetoric. He spoke of seeking to construct a hydroelectric facility that would make the people earn more than the promised increase.
Believe it or not, he got the people to accept that they would not be paid a further increase although to a man, the increase would have gone a long way to easing many an economic plight.
But sometimes, it is not all well when projects fail. Under such conditions the best policy would be to take the people into confidence. Deputy Prime Minister the late Dr. Ptolemy Reid announced that the government had made a terrible mistake when it shut down the railway in Guyana. The then PNC government took this decision when oil prices were low and when transportation by road was so much cheaper.
It turned out that soon after, oil prices went through the roof and what was considered an expensive proposition—rail travel—turned out to be so much cheaper. It also turned out that Guyana, the first South American country to establish a railroad, became the first to scrap its service.
A lot has happened since then. A new government came to power just over two decades ago, and like any government, it made mistakes. There was the clean sweep of the foreign missions, causing Guyana to lose the contacts it had established on the diplomatic front. So clean was the sweep that Guyana struggled to gain seats on international bodies— like the United Nations.
Perhaps the biggest mistake was the scrapping of the Guyana National Service. Of course, while it was in opposition, the PPP campaigned extensively against national service. When it came to office it opted to close the various national service centres, thus, denying young men who had not done well in the academic sphere a chance at developing themselves.
Today, there are those in the society who are prepared to blame the absence of the National Service centres on the rise in violent crimes in Guyana. Young men with idle time now find something to do with their hands to the detriment of the wider society. Yet one is still to hear an admission of any wrongdoing.
Today, people who chose politics over public service are being weeded out from the government service. Of course, this is a tradition that has come down through the ages. Politicians cannot be public servants; at least that is the view. The previous administration made use of its loyal supporters to fill certain vacancies. Needless to say, some of these people are being removed by the present administration. And the present administration is being accused of inserting its own political type.
There are now accusations back and forth with one claiming that it is doing exactly what the other did.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
Mar 29, 2024
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