The Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday appealed to all political parties to accept the results of last Monday’s general and regional elections, saying that businesses were already hurting by political “walks” and the economy could be damaged if unrest deepens.
Some business persons remained apprehensive about opening their businesses and PSC Chairman Ramesh Dookhoo said this presents a golden opportunity for leaders of the political parties to start working towards putting Guyana first.
Dookhoo, while addressing a forum arranged to confirm the PSC’s acceptance of the elections results, said the business community is facing major financial losses and later told this newspaper he estimated it to be “millions and millions.”
“The PSC wishes to remind all of the political parties and their supporters that irrevocable harm will be done to the country’s economy and its financial stability by any refusal on the part of any one of the contesting political parties to accept these results,” he said.
He said the PSC has since met members of the Alliance for Change who have been extremely constructive in this matter.
The PSC also met Dr Rupert Roopnaraine of A Partnership for National Unity and president-elect Donald Ramotar, Dookhoo reported but he declined to go into detail, saying that they were at an “extremely delicate and vastly important set of discussions”.
Dookhoo noted that ‘walks’ being held in parts of Georgetown were taking their toll on business.
“We’re losing a lot of money. Businesses are closed, people are not going to work. Some of the protestors we got reports they’re saying no work, no school, no ‘Donald’ and that kind of political rhetoric is going on the streets,” he added.
“All of Guyana has won and we should think before moving into a phase that is detrimental to all of us,” he said.
‘Fears’
Stabroek News once again took to the streets of Georgetown to evaluate activities of the business community and noted that although several storekeepers and vendors reopened their premises, tension was obvious. As early as 4.30 pm, the business that had opened began to close up even in the face of the impending Christmas season,
Brenda, a vendor in Stabroek Market, said business is being greatly affected because customers are very few. “People are not coming out to shop and then we have to close our doors early and go home because we have fears,” the woman said. She said it is her hope to see the city return to normal and to have people begin their Christmas shopping soon.
Down at the City Mall, store owners complained of slow business, which makes it difficult to pay staff members and even their rent. “The reason being is that we have to close early and people are not coming out to shop as usual,” one person explained.
Sharing similar hardship was a nearby vendor who indicated that business had not been normal for the past few days. “We have not been able to open for two days because we don’t know who is who and if they cause confusion in the mall and we close our shutters, the possibility exists that we may close them up in here with us and we can be robbed,” he said.
Concern for the safety of his staff members, he said, has resulted in him having to hire taxis to transport them home. This, he said, is a heavy burden at a time of such crisis.
Meanwhile, outside the Stabroek and Bourda markets, at approximately 4.40 pm, vendors were busy setting up their stall for Friday night market.
