Latest update May 21st, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 16, 2023 Letters
We created through propaganda the stalwart image for Jagdeo, who never did much if anything for the PPP nor PYO. He was foisted upon us by Janet Jagan who pressured the leadership to bring him in. After he attained power the legacy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan was cast aside. It became a party for the enrichment of a few. We can recall when Janet criticized the withholding of ads to the Stabroek News the ex-president was told that she was an ordinary citizen. Total lack of respect for the woman who gave him the Presidency on a platter.
I will explain how this took place. PPP congress took a decision for 20% Civic. However, when Bharat became President, he increased this to about 60%. Now the Civic was not an organization with values, principles etc. It comprised of individuals brought in at the pleasure of the President. They came in as ministers, parliamentarians etc. Eventually many joined the PPP and because they are well known, because they were Ministers etc., the PPP members voted them into the Central Committee and thus Jagdeo gained control of the Central Committee. The Central Committee votes to create the executive and this ensured Jagdeo’s control of the party’s Executive.
Later we were to witness the vulgar manipulation which caused leading stalwarts to be bypassed and for Donald Ramotar, with absolutely no experience in government being catapulted into the President’s seat. The general feeling was that the real power was behind the throne. Same as it is today after another manipulation. To this day the present cabal defends any criticism of their policies, by pointing at what happened under the PNC leadership. Bear in mind this is not only ridiculous but absolutely unacceptable. The people of this country can no longer be satisfied with the fact that the PPP can do better than the PNC as that is an easy task. The people, especially the youths, want to see progress and gains that are based on the resources of this country and we are well endowed. Today we must add oil to the list.
We must recognize that the “lean and clean” government of Dr. Cheddi Jagan is a thing of the past. We are witnessing the growing impoverishment of our people, the growing corruption, the growing self-enrichment of a small section of the PPP leadership and their friends, family and donors.
During the last term of Bharat Jagdeo, THE CORRUPTION GREW EXPONENTIALY, by leaps and bounds. This generated a huge gap between the haves and the have nots, in betrayal of the PPP’s stated ideology and Cheddi Jagan’s legacy. Even Donald Ramotar stated that the corruption was deep-rooted, and he promised to root it out. The drive for self-enrichment was/is apparently insatiable.
As a consequence, the PPP lost power to the Coalition. Well, to be brief I would simply say that the Coalition which was greeted with much enthusiasm and good faith became just as corrupt as the PPP and so lost a glorious opportunity to transform the body politics and lift our people out of poverty. I think most if not all of the population of Guyana knows how the Coalition sold out our patrimony (oil) to Exon. So, the voters of Guyana kicked them out of office.
The PNC shot itself in the foot. So, there is no hope for the PNC to ever come close in the foreseeable future to wining an election in Guyana even in a coalition as the AFC is dead meat. The fear of the PNC slipping in because of splitting of votes is no longer even a remote possibility. This possibility was shattered by the conduct of the PNC which in my opinion cannot even get 24 seats.
This is good news as this makes it easy to end the winner take all politics that has plagued this country and create some check and balance within the power structure of Guyana’s governance. The PPP regained power in 2020. One would have expected them to learn from their mistakes but apparently, they have not. They have retained the benefits they opposed when the coalition granted themselves 50% increase after a few months of being in government.
They have concentrated on huge infrastructure works, some necessary and some not so, but generally overpriced. Corruption continues and one recent example, that of Critic contract with a bid that was way, way over the lowest bid and way above the engineer’s estimate. It’s just taxpayers’ money; our money. There is a perception that the emphasis on huge infrastructure projects is because this is where the drawback takes place.
In the meantime, very little is done to alleviate the sufferings of the people. In reality parents are given inadequate relief. $40000 a year for each child going to school. This covers transportation for the short drop for one year. All other expenses have to be funded by parents. The children of the poor, especially, suffer as there is no allowance for them. They cannot even afford to send their children to school so no allowance for them; no education for them. The PPP government does not address this.
We need to reintroduce a progressive tax regime, allowance for each child. In addition, a subsidy for each child, in cases where the income of the parent is below a certain level. Considering our small population, we should encourage our people to have more babies. Give them incentives. It is not fair that the parents foot all the bills for the creation of the future labour force. In any event, I need to emphasise that the burden of taxes on the employed is oppressive.
I intend to continue this discourse in other letters.
Sincerely,
Rajendra Bisessar
BSc Sociology, DSc in Law
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