President needs to lead by example on Covid-19 fight

Dear Editor

There is a photograph among a plethora on the Office of the President’s Facebook Page which shows the Head of State Irfaan Ali on stage with the recent awardees of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association’s 25th annual Awards Ceremony. The image clearly shows Mr. Ali’s continued flouting of his own government’s COVID-19 regulations, in this case not adhering to social distancing rules.

Editor, government’s most recent gazetted “COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No.12) speaks to maintaining “physical distance of six feet from each other”. It is important that the Head of State strives to lead by example, and it is important that not only some of the regulations are observed but all.  The past few weeks have been replete with too many infractions in this regard.

The President might be excused, however, for the error of his ways since the recent  COVID-19 Emergency Measures are confusing in intent and might as well have been written in hieroglyphics as it would require specialists to understand what the government is trying to accomplish with its issuance.

The Measures aim at a “gradual reopening” of the country. Yet as we are opening up there is a simultaneous shutdown of many communities like Orealla and Siparuta and Region 7. The PPP recently called out public servants to full-time work, yet according to the Measures we seem to be back on rotation in the Public and Private Sectors. Also the same Emergency Measures which speak of social distancing state that public transportation can go back to full seating capacity.

Additionally, the Emergency Measures seem aimed at rigid enforcement, but the National Coordinator also seems to have his own thoughts being brought to bear. Stabroek News quoted the Prime Minister as saying, “We can expect greater enforcement [during the Christmas season] but as I mentioned before our focus more is on education, engaging and encouraging people to observe and adhere to the measures. Enforcement will be done, but as far as I am concerned as National Coordinator, enforcement should be a last resort.”

The administration’s aims and actions on COVID-19 are at variance. The pandemic seems more of an annoyance to the PPP to be wished away rather than engaged frontally, strategically as part of robust, dynamic governance in a new age.

Regards
Sherod Avery Duncan, MP.