Dear Editor,
I watched with more than a tinge of sadness the presentations by former President Jagdeo at Babu Jaan and a press conference at Freedom House in which he gave his own peculiar version of aspects of our country’s past. I can only hope that no future former president will hold and express similar jaundiced views.
However, some of Mr Jagdeo utterances gave me cause for reflection about two issues. The first is specific to Mr Jagdeo. I seem to recollect that in 2010 Mr Jagdeo when he was President, said something to the effect that if the Skeldon Sugar Factory does not work as expected then the sugar industry is dead. Further, Mr Jagdeo promised to personally get involved to ensure that the factory was fixed. If the former President did get involved he was not successful, for the factory ain’t fixed. If on the other hand Mr Jagdeo did not get involved then… promises, promises. Are sugar workers aware of Mr Jagdeo’s role in their plight?
The second issue relates to something Dr Cheddi Jagan was fond of complaining about when alluding to the international economic situation. His refrain was “the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.” Little could Dr Jagan have suspected that what he campaigned against would hold sway in his beloved Guyana accomplished under the watch of the PPP which he founded.
Yours faithfully,
Rashleigh E Jackson