Dear Editor,
As the world prepares to welcome the year 2023, so too is Guyana. The year 2022 has been one of drama and disappointment for the average Guyanese citizen. However, a few well connected persons have a lot to celebrate as beneficiaries of their friends in Government.
Since August 2, 2020 the PPP has carried out an onslaught on Opposition Members in the National Assembly. They utilised their one seat majority to derail the functioning of the National Assembly by continuous abuse of Opposition MPs, irregular holding of committee meetings. All of this under “the watchful eye” of the PPP/C’s appointed Speaker Mr. Manzoor Nadir. This was compounded by the injustice and unfair treatment meted out to eight Opposition Members who were denied their RIGHTS to natural justice!
The other arm of government, the Judiciary, has allegedly not escaped the PPP/C’s influence. It is the belief of many that the courts have been weaponised by the ruling oligarchy. The Guyana Police Force, rather than serving and protecting citizens, has been associated with intimidation and harassment of those aligned to the Coalition on the instructions of prominent political figures.
At the other level, the Executive arm of government, there were several infractions committed by the PPP/C regime. To name a few: unfairness in the awarding of contracts, unfairness in the distribution of cash grants, with the beneficiaries being mainly PPP/C constituents; the non-commissioning of the Teachers Service Commission and the Public Service Commission, with the intention of stymying promotions of persons outside of their constituency; the willful act of excluding Opposition representatives from State Boards, to name a few.
Earlier in the year, Guyanese were also taken by surprise at the allegations made against Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo in an exclusive interview by VICE News, a US based agency. The allegations included the awarding of contracts and favors using a Chinese middleman, Mr. Su. Mr. Ali, who sits in the seat of President failed in his many attempts to appease Guyanese on this issue. We were told that an investigation will be conducted, and that Mr. Jagdeo was going to bring litigation against Mr. Su for his “false accusations”. Well, it’s heading to the close of 2022 and Guyanese are still waiting for this case to be heard.
Then Guyanese were forced to contend with the odious and embarrassing conduct of Mr. Charrandass Persaud, Guyana’s High Commissioner to India. After the public outcry on the release of the video recording of Mr. Persaud’s abuse surfaced, Mr. Ali, on October 26th, 2022, said that “representatives of our country must on every occasion conduct themselves in the highest regard …in keeping with the best interest of Guyana and the image of Guyana Mr. Charrandass would return home.”
I however read that Mr. Persaud was still invited to perform official duties in November. A few days ago, I noted that a farewell function was held for Mr. Persaud by the Indian Government. As a taxpayer, I have a few questions for Mr. Ali. Can he advise the people of Guyana when exactly Mr. Persaud is expected in Guyana? Does he plan to offer him another paid position in his government? Editor, I hope this information would be made available to citizens within the next few days. The decent and honourable thing to do would be to remove the disgraced Mr. Persaud permanently from the government’s payroll.
Under the PPP/C, public servants and teachers experienced the wrath of the PPP/C regime. There were no attempts at collective bargaining to ensure decent wages to combat inflation. Less that forty-eight hours, the IDB in a release, has reported that the inflation rate in Guyana has tripled in the past two years.
The PPP/C regime continues in their old habits of propagating misinformation to mislead citizens. During the 2020 Elections campaign Guyanese were promised that the PPP/C regime would renegotiate the Production Sharing Agreements. As has become the norm with the PPP, they intentionally misled citizens to garner votes. There never was any intention to revisit the agreements as is evidenced by the excuses repeatedly being made by Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo. We are also yet to be told how the nation is benefitting from the nation’s oil resources.
Editor, the PPP/C regime MUST govern in the interest of ALL Guyana. The whole concept of Ali’s “One Guyana” is a farce and hoax. We are one people, one nation with a common destiny. It is that motto that Mr. Ali swore to be guided by. Let him so do.
Your sincerely,
Annette Ferguson
Member of Parliament
