Dear Editor,
All three political parties are misguided in their focus on the no-confidence motion when it is among the least of the concerns of the population. I was in Guyana last month and conducted an opinion poll to find out the most pressing issues people face. The no-confidence motion was ranked at the bottom; people are more interested in their daily survival, not on who wants to capture power.
The leading issue is crime followed by chikungunya, the latter attracting more attention from people outside the urban areas. Almost everyone in the rural areas and hinterland and even many in urban areas (where there are mosquito breeding grounds) expressed concern about chikungunya. People want their drains cleaned (desilted) and their areas sprayed to wipe out breeding mosquitoes that carry the virus. People also are worried about ebola – whether it could be brought in from outside and what measures are being taken to address an outbreak of the dreaded disease.
Clearly, the three parties are out of touch with their constituents. Instead of spending time debating when and or if to hold the no-confidence motion or to hold local government elections, the MPs and parties should focus on passing a bill to fund anti-ebola preparation and to battle chikungunya. Guyana and the region are moving too slowly to address chikungunya. On this note, I applaud the initiative taken by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of T&T to bring Caricom heads of government together in Port of Spain to mount a regional offensive against the chikungunya and the ebola viruses.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram