Dear Editor,
After passing through a PPP/C political meeting at Industry held recently I came to the realization that quite a lot of persons are not aware what the true purpose of an Election is. In an Election campaign voters are supposed to listen to the parties and then decide which one of them would best solve the problems that are affecting them and their families.
I spent around ten minutes at that meeting where the first Speaker spoke then handed over to Minister Frank Anthony. The first Speaker proclaimed to the one hundred or so persons present at that time that if they walk around their village they will see development all around them. Now Industry has nine streets and except for the one where the meeting was kept which is the main access road all the others are in the most deplorable conditions you could imagine. These streets have drains that lead to nowhere and there is high unemployment and few opportunities for the youths in the village. I listened to the presentations of Anthony, Nandlall and Ramotar from a distance and they lamented the same thing about the twenty-eight years of the PNC.
I think all the meetings in PPP strongholds will follow the same trend. Speakers will not touch on the issues of crime, poverty, unemployment etc. What Guyanese have failed to realize is that in the political system a Government is elected to work for the people using taxes contributed by them. These moneys are not coming from the bank book of the President or Ministers so they cannot use it as an opportunity to boast and brag. It is time that the people demand that the Government perform the more difficult duties on their list like reducing poverty, solving crime, creating employment etc. Editor I hope that I am not disrespectful when I say that this Government is like a Mechanic who is contented in washing and polishing the car but when it is time to fix the engine he does not know or is unwilling to. My advice to potential voters is to listen to all the parties with an open mind and then decide which one will make the most positive changes to your country and vote accordingly.
Personally I have dropped the PPP/C from my list of options due to their failure to address the bread and butter issues of the poor people and I now await the much anticipated debates among Ramjattan, Granger, Trotman and Roopnaraine to decide which party I would vote for.
Yours faithfully,
R.M. Khan