Dear Editor,
The statements made by PPP officials at the opening of the People’s Progres-sive Party’s 30th Congress and at recent press conferences should be cause of concern, if not alarm for all Guyanese.
Mr Clement Rohee and Mr Omar Sharif, among others, blame the PPP’s declining support on neglect of “ground work.” Do they really expect Guyanese to buy this?
The PPP’s main function is to govern the country not do house to house propaganda visits. Not one of the PPP’s top officials is addressing the widespread perception of corruption, cronyism, lack of transparency and accountability, neglect of the poor and general poor governance. Surely the party’s top brass must realize that these issues are more important than bottom house meetings?
The President remarked that the unity of the country’s citizens has been in decline since the last PPP Congress in 2008. Is he blaming the opposition for this sad development?
The PPP has been in absolute power all this time. They have squandered the goodwill of their supporters and indeed, all Guyanese. Some of their officials have acquired unexplained wealth, they have granted state contracts to friends, issued broadcast licenses to cronies, increased the national debt and broken promises too numerous to mention.
The opposition gained a one seat majority in the National Assembly in 2011. The PPP retained control of the executive, yet they want to blame the opposition for disunity among Guyanese since 2008! How intellectually dishonest can the PPP get?
The PPP officials continue to blame the opposition for the stalemate in parliament. All Guyanese know that it takes two sides to make a quarrel, yet the PPP accepts absolutely no responsibility.
The APNU and AFC leaders have both indicated their willingness to compromise, to work hard to resolve differences. Both opposition parties have made their opening positions clear. This is the way negotiations are started; all Guyanese know this.
President Ramotar on the other hand stated that the PPP would not be open to compromise any time soon. How does the ruling party expect to move the country forward when the President categorically closed the door on compromise with the elected representatives of the majority of Guyanese?
The Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project is dominating the news. The PPP uses every opportunity to attack the opposition parties for their admirable stance on this issue. The PPP needs to stop the name calling and personal attacks and instead, address the specific concerns raised by financial and other experts. The President must state clearly how the Guyanese people will benefit from this exorbitantly expensive initiative.
The PPP is using this forum to continue to personally attack members of the opposition parties instead of reaching out to the Guyanese majority. The PPP continues to use vague, irrelevant and demonstrably false rhetoric to influence Guyanese, instead of addressing the real concerns of the people.
Guyanese have too much at stake to fall for such blatant insults to our intelligence. We are the ones suffering from lack of jobs, medical care, affordable housing, reliable water, security and even basic food. We do not live in mansions like the PPP elite. We do not have access to overseas medical attention at the drop of a sneeze.
Guyanese will not be fooled again. We will no longer tolerate the widening gap between the poor and the members and friends of the rulers. Enough is enough.
We want our country back and we shall do whatever it takes to peacefully retake control of our collective destiny.
Yours faithfully,
Mark DaCosta
