Dear Editor,
As decision day 2011 draws nearer, the field of want-to-be presidents keeps growing. In an interview published in Stabroek News (October 11), PNCR Vice-Chairman Basil Williams announced his interest in becoming the PNCR presidential candidate in what appears to be another ‘goat ain’t bite me’ moment. Mr Williams may be a nice guy, and I’m sure he is, but he’s clearly not ready for the big league. Any objective person reading this interview in Stabroek News, would conclude that he lacks the experience and confidence in himself to lead this country, especially during this very difficult period. Referring to supporters, Williams said, “They have been urging me to step up, because they believe I am a leader, they believe I can make a contribution.” Only last year, he was nominated to contest the leadership of the PNCR, but withdrew his name because “he did not believe he was ready to be the leader.” If Basil Williams was not “ready” to resuscitate an ailing political party a year ago, why would voters believe that he has the knowledge, experience and ability to revive an economy on life support?
Further, Williams appears indecisive, and someone who needs to be pushed into action; maybe that explains why he feels comfortable with Robert Corbin as party leader. For unlike David Granger, who was trained to follow orders, even though those orders may compromise his values and better judgement, Williams lacks confidence in his own ability to take responsibilities, as is suggested in the taped conversation that he was alleged to have had with Commissioner of Police Winston Felix in 2006.
In his interview, the PNCR Vice-Chairman said that whoever his party selects, must be someone that the PPP/C cannot fix in the past. He added, “One thing is for sure, they can’t fix me back in the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, that is the most important thing… They can take a tape and say the tape talks about conspiracy when the whole tape was displayed before the Guyanese people and they just laugh at them. Those things don’t bother me. The Guyanese people can’t be that stupid.” You’re absolutely right Mr Williams, the Guyanese people are not stupid; then, you were merely a member of Parliament as you are now… but now, you’re running to become our President, and your entire life, both public and private, will be fair game, and any skeleton hiding in your closet will certainly come back to haunt you. Another thing that concerns me with Basil Williams, is his lack of oratorical skills. I can understand and accept the expression in the alleged taped conversation with Commissioner Felix, but no presidential candidate should ever say to a reporter that he has, “no problems with nobody” and not expect it to be printed. Of course what Mr Williams meant to say, is that he has ‘no problem with anyone’ or ‘anybody.’ His grammar may be ok for Guyana, but is highly unacceptable for use by an aspiring head of state who will have to engage in meetings with foreign dignitaries, especially one who compares himself to US President Barack Obama, and one who comes from the party of Burnham, Hoyte and Corbin, all remarkably good orators.
As a parliamentarian, Basil Williams seems clueless as to the cause of our economic problems. He thinks Guyanese are lazy; they are not productive enough he says. According to him, “The goal is to make every Guyanese a productive person. Once the people are satisfied with the conditions of service, with their salaries, they are going to be more productive.” He also believes that the reason Guyanese youths are “idle,” unemployed, and involved in criminal activities, is because they are not trained: “It’s largely to deal with skills training for the young people,” he said. Has it occurred to Mr Williams that young people are “idle” because there are no jobs for them? Young graduates cannot get jobs, and it’s not because they are not “productive,” for most Guyanese are hard-working, innovative and have longevity in a job. Because the unemployment rate is so high, the PPP/C administration is too embarrassed to publish the unemployment rate. We need someone who knows how to fix the economy, create jobs, and put Guyanese back to work. Guyanese are being trained, but the jobs are simply not there. Guyana needs a leader with gumption to implement the changes necessary to move the country forward, not some poster boy for Robert Corbin, who would be manipulating the puppet strings of any presidential candidate, should he be allowed to remain as party leader.
When he was asked about the PNCR getting 50,000 votes less at the last elections and how he would recapture those votes, he said “the jury is still out” on those results. Editor, this is yet another reason Mr Williams should not be taken seriously. He’s either in denial, or he’s simply not a political strategist despite his vice-chairmanship position. If he truly believes that the “jury is still out,” the next time he returns to Parliament, he should ask himself, ‘Why am I sitting with the opposition instead of being part of the government?’ Mr Williams may continue to fool himself, but if those 50,000 PNCR supporters who did not vote for the party in 2006 were not a resounding call for a change in the party’s leadership and direction, neither he nor David Granger would stand a chance of ever living in State House, and I would have the displeasure of saying, ‘I told you so.’
Yours faithfully,
Harry Gill
