Dear Editor
Admittedly the PNC made countless errors during their tenure in government, the main one being that they allowed the late President Burnham unchecked political and governmental power similar to that which the PPP government has had since 1992, most notably in the case of Bharrat Jagdeo from 1999 to 2010.
The PPP government, its ministers and agents waste no time in bringing up the failures and mistakes of the PNC during its questionable tenure in office. It loves to raise these issues as if the PPP government and its ministers have never committed similar and perhaps worse mistakes. We all know the United States, for example, and every other state in the world have made numerous mistakes and still do so daily. What separates those which excel from those that continue to fail is learning from and applying new knowledge moving forward.
Editor I therefore have a question for the PPP government: Has it ever made a mistake? Let me preempt some responses to this. Firstly the PPP government and party has made and continues to make many mistakes, most notably associated with corrupt projects and backdoor deals that cost the people of this country money, aligning themselves with unsuitable persons, etc. Historically the PPP as a party has made a plethora of mistakes, although it does not share these with the same zest and speed it likes to share the failures of the PNC and government critics.
Secondly, the government knows fully well that its strongest asset is propaganda and an under-educated, impoverished citizenry. Most of us whether with advanced academic training or not find it difficult to separate fact from fiction, or emotional/persuasive language from factual language. Strong emotions tend to be construed as strong belief, however as any trained lawyer can tell you strong belief is not about facts, it is just that – emotion and belief.
Thirdly, we have seen since 1992 that the PPP government practises a policy of posting ministers and others who have made terrible mistakes to foreign countries on ambassadorial assignments. Alternatively, they become consultants.
We also see the mistake of the Skeldon Sugar Factory and the financial arrangements, etc, surrounding the Berbice River Bridge, the Marriott Hotel, Amaila Falls, etc. Is it that they do not conveniently see these as mistakes and failures? Look too at some of the activities Kwame McCoy, Odinga Lumumba, Anil Nandall and many others have been embroiled in. What has happened to these folks when their mistakes were recognized? They got promoted or they continued to enjoy their privileges under the government.
So let us remember to ask whichever PPP mouthpiece decides to bring up past and current mistakes of opposition parties and government critics what the PPP is doing or has done about its own mistakes and those of its ministers and officers.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Archer