Dear Editor,
What if hypothetically there are two presidents in a country at the same time.? Won’t it inevitably lead to conflict and tensions between the two and in governance because each has different agendas and priorities. The hypothetical country is unique as it is the only one with two Presidents under one administration. A comparison of the two honchos — the de facto and the de jure Presidents — reveal the predicament the country finds itself in and the consequences to those who are being ruled. Would people continue to agree to two Presidents after the term of this Presidency ends? Won’t it be wise to have a change in the de jure President since there is rising tension between the two Presidents and complaints from half of the supporters of the governing party?
As observed, both Presidents have one thing in common; they are corrupt to the hilt with a singular interest of being filthy rich off the back of the working class, looting the money from the natural resources. But one President is interested in controlling newly found oil and gas, and he has done anything and everything to remain de facto President for life, more ambitious than a dictator who passed away in 1985. The other President, knowing he is subjected to two term limits, is doing everything to make as much money as possible regardless of how scandalous the transactions are. He is unpatriotic, selling out (giving away) the patrimony of the nation. He also owns several housing schemes in partnership with major real estate developers. He acquired dozens of prime house and business lots adjacent to new highways that went up over the last three years. Similar land was acquired between 2006 and 2015. Malls, restaurants, gyms, sports clubs, chicken farms, have been established under names fronting for him. He also rents buildings to an oil company as has the de facto President who commands large rents for his dozen buildings from the same oil company. The de jure President is the principal owner of several contracting companies doing state infrastructure work and housing development and he also owns several farming projects. State resources have been pouring into areas of his business under the guise of development. A small elite around the two Presidents capture what is left of the loot. The poor and middle class are left out of the wealth creation. They seem content to be on the periphery as their rulers enrich themselves.
The de facto President is more focused on how to remain in office during his lifetime even though he has more than expired his two term limits (11.5 years as President) and accrued huge wealth while in office. He keeps decent members of his party and MPs subdued and irrelevant. He enticed them into corruption and non-traditional ways of life; some fell for it and inevitably were coerced into becoming agents of the de facto President. The de facto President is known to have transformed good people into bad and makes those who are known to be bad to appear in public as being good. In realty, he has become worse than a President who governed for 20 years. The hardship being suffered by the poor is worse than during the period of a dictatorship. And the de facto President seems to be losing control over the other President who seems hell bent on doing his own things and being his own man. He defies the man who made him President. Good, decent, competent candidates were by-passed to make a President known for corruption and unsuitable for the position. The country is drifting ever closer to Middle Eastern authoritarian states under his tenure.
Can the de facto President find a way to survive the increasingly asserted power during the second term of the de jure President. The de jure President will be his own man as current behavior hints. And half of the supporters of the government are worried about their marginalization as the de jure President uses his faith to dole out contracts. Contractors of other faiths are complaining they are not getting contracts. They were better off under the coalition. Some are converting from their born faith in order to get contracts. It is a way to get high profile jobs and contracts.
While the two Presidents are occupied with becoming filthy rich, the well-being of the nation is being sacrificed. Expatriate companies have been getting most of the benefits from the national resources of the country. The poor is getting poorer through bad economic policy. The de jure President is busy tying up deals with the Dominicans, Venezuelans, and anyone else who presents an opportunity for him to make quick money. A former American Secretary of State was paid a huge sum to lobby for a group of American investors to build a plant. The de jure President has promised a contract and large farm and mineral (gold) mining concessions. That action and more have caused friction between the two Presidents, and it has become a major cause of concern for Guyanese investors who are deprived of opportunities in the resource sectors.
It is a sad state of affairs in this hypothetical country where teachers, nurses, and public servants cannot earn livable wages and where consultants and propagandists are making big bucks to defend the regime. Money from natural resources have been squandered and frittered away. Money can’t be found for workers, but billions are injected into companies fronting for senior government functionaries. Contracts for non-existent work are paid like there is no end to money.
In sum, one President is making most money in the shortest possible time, becoming blinded by the consequences of his corrupt deal. He is busy making deals with money launderers from Venezuela, DR, and Colombia while also making deals with an American company seeking a huge contract and with the Middle Easterners Islamists who also want a piece of the pie. It seems the de jure President lacks intelligence to understand the consequences of his actions. At any rate, he does not care; he is becoming super wealthy. Will the de facto President act?
Yours truly,
Ramnarine Seelall
