This week on What the People say, we asked residents to comment on the post-election situation and flooding in their area. Here are their responses:
Gavin Marshall, police officer,
‘I think the election was peaceful and the (former) government needs to accept defeat in good faith and allow this beautiful nation to prosper. I think Ramotar and his team had their fair turn and the then opposition under Mr. Granger had worked alongside them and I think they need to give Mr. Granger a chance to work. I think the time has come for Guyana to move forward in a positive direction and the coalition is doing a fine job thus far. The PPP needs to go into parliament. The government needs to reform the joint services and at the same time they need to ensure that the crime wave goes down. They need to increase people’s salaries and boost the joint services so that we would be able to function more efficiently. Yes, flooding affected me in my area [Cornelia Ida] but at the same time the mayor and the new Minister of Public Works are now working together and the people also need to come out and support the government of the day.’
Sorsattie Chandarpaul, housewife,
‘The new government should be given a chance to rule and show the people what it can do. It is time for the PPP to accept the results and they need to go to parliament so the country can move forward instead of going backward. They need to co-operate with the new government because they are already in power and nothing can be done to remove them. The government should focus on helping single parents like me. We are willing to be independent but don’t have the means. I have four children and I need financial support to get back in my fish business. My whole yard was flooded during the heavy rainfall and I lost some of my ducks and chickens because they got cramp.’
Phillip Trotz, labourer,
‘To me the APNU+AFC government is doing a good job and I think the PPP should go to parliament and get the country to move forward. Right now the PPP is pulling for one
side but it is time to allow the government to rule. Both sides need to work together for the interest of the people. I admire the clean-up initiative of the government and I think it should continue all over. But they need to dispose of the silt and the garbage immediately instead of leaving it on the parapet like they did in Zeelugt. If not, all their effort would go to waste because the rain would wash everything back in the trench. I was affected by flooding with the heavy rainfall. Right now the trench in front of my house needs cleaning.’
Sheila Chandarpaul, widow,
‘Well, the situation is calm and the country is running good so far except that the PPP is not accepting the results. It’s already over one month since the new government took over and the PPP needs to stop the protesting and do what’s best for the country. And that is to go into parliament and give the coalition government a chance; they were there for a long time. We at the grass-root level are the ones who are suffering because of their behaviour. The government should focus on improving the health facility so poor people don’t have to pay for certain tests and treatment. I am a heart patient and I joined the Georgetown Hospital clinic. They sent me up to the Caribbean Heart Institute for a test and I cannot afford to pay for it. I really need a house lot; I applied since 2009 and can’t get through. I was living in Plastic City, Vreed-en-Hoop and I moved because of poor conditions. I am willing to pay for the lot and would be happy if Food for the Poor can help me to build a house. I am staying with my daughter and the trench nearby blocked up and it cause flooding in the yard when the rain fall.’
Norman Chetram, importer,
‘I think the whole situation with the PPP creating a ruckus in terms of the fraud and saying GECOM this and GECOM is baseless. I think the election was done fairly and they
should accept it and move forward. They should go into parliament; I mean you want everybody there, to express their views and everything. The
government should focus on doing what they are doing right now, like you’re seeing everyday how much billions of dollars was lost every year. The government should try to recover that money or cut where the losses were and get things back in line. I am from Uitvlugt and there was no flooding there.’
Eon Pollydore, self-employed,
‘The country is calm following the election and who did not accept the results are getting to accept them. You know, the elections are over and people have to get on with their lives. The PPP needs to get into parliament and let’s get on with business; they are wasting time. The priority for the government is what they have set out in the manifesto to do for the first 100 days; like to work on wages. I think they had expected when they got into office to see the situation with the finances like rice don’t have any money and GuySuCo not doing well… My hope is that they get through and do what they say. As usual there was a little flooding here at Vreed-en-Hoop and it is because of poor drainage.’
Omar Aliraja, fisherman,
‘If the PPP continue to protest and they are not willing to accept the results and work with the new government then the country would stall. They can’t do anything anymore about the results because they can’t get back power so it doesn’t make any sense to continue like that. They are not willing to go into parliament but that is what they are supposed to do. The government should focus on what they planned to do for the first 100 days because they promised
that to the people. Where I live at Meten-Meer-Zorg, I didn’t get flooding because the place is high.’
Manohar, therapist [self-trained],
‘The PPP has 32 seats in parliament and they should go in there and sit with the people and see what would happen. They can heckle the government just like they [government] were doing when they were opposition but they need to be there and have a voice. The government should fulfill the 100-day
promises they made and if they work good with the people the people would back them. We have to join hands with them and work and we can’t run from this because they just gone in and have to give them a chance. It was not nice that they dismissed some of the people who were in high offices though. I didn’t have any problem with flooding in my area.’
Keisha La Rose, waitress,
‘The coalition is already there and we should support them and work with them. I think the PPP should go into parliament and help to develop the country but I heard that they don’t want to sit in the opposition seat. The government should help the old people and have programmes in place to empower the youth.’
