Dear Editor,
The months of November and December have been the most eventful of the past year. The long delayed acceptance of a recession was made amidst the convulsions on Wall Street; President Bush failed to achieve peace in the Middle East; he had to duck from shoes; Bernard Madoff made off with billions of dollars; and the gas price is steadily plummeting. There were bailouts after bailouts of financial institutions, the latest being the auto industry.
But the most significant event was Barack Obama’s victory at the USA elections.
I am left to wonder if capitalism has gone mad. The financial crises that hit so many of the industrialized nations will soon have its effect on the developing nations. The government and the financial institutions should take a proactive approach to avert the catastrophic effect that has been predicted. There is an urgent need to stimulate growth and economic activity in this country and food production has to increase significantly.
For any catastrophe to be averted Guyana needs the kind of leadership that will chart us through the difficult road that lies ahead.
With regard to the best performing ministers in 2008, those that readily come to mind are Ms P Manickchand, Dr Frank Anthony and Dr A Singh. The worst performers are Mr Manniram Prashad who cannot get bus and speedboat fares to drop. The fuel prices are down but consumers are hoping that they will one day enjoy some relief. Equally, there is Mr Robert Persaud with flooding and problems in the rice industry and the sugar industry, along with the Skeldon factory.
The Mayor of Georgetown has outlived his tenure; the garden city is now a garbage city and vending and flooding are everyday occurrences. The affairs of the city are mismanaged. Then there is the CEO of Guyana Water Inc. In many places GWI cannot give residents water in their homes. The water bills are high but the hours of water have significantly been reduced and in some places the quality is unfit for human consumption.
On a general note, this government must be more proactive. Do not wait until the water rises then think what to do; do not wait until the last moment to learn that the pumps in the city are not functioning well.
Too much money is being spent each year to fix the same recurring problem.
Yours faithfully,
D. Singh
