Dear Editor,
It amazes me, especially how wrong I was about Mr. Donald Ramotar to the extent that I actually campaigned for him in the last election, how often he travels abroad while we, the citizens, are left in the charge of Mr. Sam Hinds, who should be sitting in retirement just about now. Mr. Ramotar seems to enjoy leaving us to the serious and numerous problems we face every day of our lives, while he enjoys the extra miles we are left with the burdens of his indecision and his weak leadership in rotating tried and tired “comrades” in a merry-go-round government bureaucracy- look at the appointment of Mr. Baksh as the Water Czar.
While Mr.Ramotar is off in his fancy hotels and his fast planes, hitting every country he can, we are left with Luncheon with his pirating textbooks monologue and his long-winded admission of the destruction of NIS while he, in his infinite wisdom and monotonous diatribe, tries to convince us that pirating is ok and NIS needs “reform”. While Mr.Ramotar is sipping his champagne and eating the fineries of first class on airplanes we can only dream of entering, much less flying on, more people are being murdered every day that passes, more people are dying on our roadways and more dope addicts are roaming our streets while corruption, ineptitude and squandermania are the order of the day, especially in government circles.
Editor, now the 20 year anniversary of PPP rule is being touted while President Cheddi’s dreams for our country are being slowly and surely destroyed by those who claim his political legacy.
Hello, NCN, have you changed your tune of the last 20 years, especially after all the scandals and band-aid solutions where bandits get off scot free? Hello NIS, have you reformed in the last 20 years under the guidance of Luncheon, who really obviously does not care about our welfare? Hello, GPL, when will we stop losing equipment because of voltage peaks after 20 years? Hello Agriculture, Ramsammy and Robert Persaud, when will we “grow more food” while basic food prices go up every day and after 20 years, no relief in sight for our farmers? Hello Linden, which year will you ever get any satisfaction from this government after 20 years of neglect by Sam Hinds, a so-called fellow Lindener? Hello Berbice, after 20 years of PPP rule when will those in power remember that you exist? Hello, Robeson Benn, when will you resign after your sorry performance on the job at Public Works where our roadways from Lethem to Crabwood Creek are mostly a disgrace after 20 years and you sit still while Georgetown falls apart?
Hello new broadcast authority and Shadick, when will we get licences for Sharma’s TV and radio licences for all interested, maybe in the next 20 years? Hello, Ashni Singh and Finance, when will we get tax reform and relief from VAT and when will the Auditor General’s office be not compromised by personal interferences of family interests- will it take another 20 years? Hello GAWU and Komal Chand, after 20 odd years of dominating President Cheddi’s creation of GAWU, how do you account for the degrading conditions of the sugar workers while Raj Singh and other “big shots” in GUYSUCO drink up all the soup? Hello Mr. Ramotar and the pledge for local government elections with shame on your government for not even trying- a direct slap on the legacy of Jagan who made sure that local elections occurred on his watch in 1994 -when Mr.Ramotar, when?
Editor, this government under Mr. Ramotar, is leading this nation straight to calamity and disaster as it has disrespected and dismissed the real needs of the Guyanese people. They can “crow” about all the great things done in 20 years, but they are not fooling the regular citizens because we have our God given intelligence and common sense which no man-made propaganda can subvert, ever. And we know the truth and the whole truth and it is before our eyes, noses and ears. We can smell the decay in our city and around our country; we can see the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer under Ashni Singh’s prescriptions and Donald Ramotar’s indifference; and we can hear the cries of our brothers and sisters for justice in the courts, for good jobs in our fragile economy and for less government interference in our lives.
But the lies and propaganda continue to be peddled by this government with their huge bureaucracy, their spending spree of $475 million dollars each and every day of the year, their trampling on democracy, the bulwark of progress and betterment and their disregard for private sector growth, the backbone of any future prosperity. Editor, after 20 years since October, 1992, the good start which President Cheddi gave this nation for a new beginning has been severely compromised by corruption and cover-ups, by nepotism and it’s new “big shots”, by squandermania and shouts of questionable progress and by a new ‘class’ of rulers who have forgotten the regular folks who Jagan loved and cherished.
Yours faithfully,
Cheddi(Joey)Jagan(Jr.)