Dear Editor,
Daily Guyana is sinking into a dictatorship. President Ali is appearing more and more wanting to be a total control leader better known as a super leader. While the PPP and its supporters laugh at the function of Moses Nagamootoo as Prime Minister, the same can be said of Mark Phillips. What exactly significant has his office done for 2 plus years?
Everyone in this country knows that under Jagdeo is the President and his favourite ministers then the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister never kept a press conference compared to the Vice President. President Ali’s job is easy. In fact, he is probably the only president in history that hardly does presidential tasks. His role as he cuts it has been easy. Going walk around, get thousands of photos, promote events such as expos for more photos, attend parties, kick a football, holler down on koker attendant, dance up on the stage, attend all cricket matches, go fishing, cook for tourist, cooks for Caricom Prime Minister, wakes up early to buy fish, break down houses and get the private sector to pay for it, and yes take thousands of photos.
One can only ask if the President is obsessed with photos. Those clearly are not Presidential tasks only. President Ali cannot be spending his 5-year term trying to convince people to like him. People will not forget the Ifraan Ali they met at the Ministry of Housing. Then who gets the work done. Every citizen in this country knows who is running this country.
The President’s Vice holds more press conferences than the President. The Vice President is handling the major sector in Guyana, that is oil and gas. The Vice’s article gives us an understanding how powerful he is and that is always known in Guyana. The Vice President dishes out job. The Vice President is present at all negotiations. Basically, the hard-core work in government is done by the Vice President while the President engages in the routine publicity.
Everything has become a show in Guyana. While people suffer, while the oil and gas sector is basically given away, President Ali makes it a duty to attend parties every night. Check on this Facebook page, during Christmas, for an entire week it was a party- to launch Christmas, GCCI party, First Lady Party, Police Party, PPP party, then to conclude Christmas and the list goes on. His international speeches have improved with ‘certaintinity’. No wonder he missed Charrandass’ whole fiasco. Had he been an effective president, he needed not to wait one year to learn of Charrandass’ disgraceful behavior. The president is more than a publicity stunt. He understands his role and leads the country to prosperity. Mr. Ali needs to understand that he is the President, and that he has a job and also, he is no longer on the campaign trail. His many advisors need to tell him that his speeches do not require that much shouting and gesticulation. The campaigns are over.
As the country shows no sign of being elevated from a Third World country, civil society and independent minded individuals are needed more than ever. This country doesn’t have an effective and competent opposition. Therefore, citizens need to be the opposition. Government accountability
Mr Glen Lall, Mr GHK Lall, Anand Goolsaran, Anand Persaud and Team at Stabroek News are all doing their part. We miss the voice of Norris Witter, Kit Nascimento, Tony Vieira, Christopher Ram, Sasenarine Singh (I forgot he got a job with the government) et al. Further, where is even Joseph Harmon, David Granger, Moses Nagamootoo, Simona Broomes, James Bond, Volda Lawrence, Amna Ally. Are they going to just sit back and see their colleagues struggle? APNU AFC did wrong with the election. They messed up. They should apologise and move on. Election is not the only aspect of a functioning democracy; good governance is and that is absent in Guyana.
While these guys have age added to them, there is a need for more younger persons to amplify their voices. They know wrong, they see wrong but because a job is tough to get and victimisation is the order of the day, they shut up. They must be reminded that others fought for their freedom, but they need to fight for those to come in the future.
Yours truly,
T. Andrews
