Introduction: Stabroek News has invited the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change to submit a weekly column on governance and related matters. Only APNU has submitted a column this week.
The People’s Progressive Party’s twenty-two-year, one-party regime has wrought a terrible social and political crisis in this country. Arson, armed robberies, banditry, domestic violence, murder, piracy and fatal aviation, riverine and road accidents have scarred our society, scared away investors and scuttled economic development. Poverty and unemployment have created a horde of beggars. Teachers, nurses, university graduates and many ordinary citizens flee the country to safer destinations.
President Donald Ramotar did not represent change when he was inaugurated three years ago on 3rd December 2011. He merely promised to continue the flawed economic policies and projects of his predecessor, Bharrat Jagdeo. He did not represent change when he promised to continue Jagdeo’s security policy that has given us a murder rate that is three times that of the USA and placed us among states with the highest suicide and fatal road accident per capita in the world.
Whatever Donald Ramotar represented as President during his troubled triennium, he did not represent change.