Dear Editor,
I usually refrain from responding to the letters of Tacuma Ogunseye since I was advised that he is on the payroll of a government that brought forth this anti-working class 2017 Budget. Has Mr Ogunseye totally divorced himself from the revolutionary street corner politics of Rodneyism?
It appears from this 2017 Budget that the political elitists think they can abrogate the power to legislate what is right for the workers without even offering them an opportunity to engage in the process. Clearly if the workers were consulted, they would have never recommended VAT on water and electricity.
First off – I am on record as combating the PPP since 2008 on the issues when I observed that they were separating from that rich Jaganite political struggle of working class empowerment. So even though Mr Ogunseye is trying his very best to stitch me to the PPP, the fact remains that I have not visited Freedom House since 2008 or engaged with any PPP executive member in any one-to-one conversations since 2011. The last conversation I had with a PPP executive member was with Irfaan Ali, someone who I still call a friend today. At the UG debate, he said to me “Sase, I am very disappointed that you have joined with Ramjattan”. We have not spoken since, but know our personal friendship will never be compromised by our politics. Likewise, I shall always call Khemraj Ramjattan my friend, but that does not mean professionally I cannot call him out for what he is engaged in today.
Actually I was told by many that my record of standing up to the PPP with political scientist Dr Euclid Rose during 2010-15, was a million times more effective at energizing the population than what was practised by the politicians on high in the then PNC-led opposition. Though many kept telling me, “Sase look what your change has brought”, my response has always been, “renewal and change in politics is critical and necessary for [the] reawakening of a nation”. Of course we the people are disappointed with the high level of corruption and incompetence under the Granger administration and their failure to economically transform the nation which would redound to the benefit of the workers of Guyana. But we must accept we made a mistake, since it is clear as day that the Minister of Finance and his cabinet colleagues as a collective are a total disappointment.
I was wrong to have expected any better from this administration which clearly has a deficit of transformational ideas to expand the wealth of the nation. Rather, what we have in our midst is a cabinet cabal that has the same focus as the Donald Ramotar government. What is shocking is that after only 18 months, we have had so many financial scandals in Guyana.
It is time for us in the political centre to pick up the pieces and start the battle again for another opportunity at true economic empowerment for the poor and the working class, because this entire stable of horses are devoid of new ideas on how to drive consumption, investment and exports. We cannot give up, Guyana is too rich potentially to be so poor.
As a Guyanese, I have a right to call the 2017 Budget as I see it, and my call has nothing to do with the PNC or PPP, but my conscience. If I choose to go with the PPP or the PNC it will be driven by my ideological belief, not gold coins. If the PNC makes the “small man the real man”, then they are my friends. Likewise, if the PPP reestablishes their commitment to the working class and Jaganism, then they are also my friends. My association has to do with politicians who can best help the working class. My stance on the national issues has always been consistent ‒ a friend of the working class is a friend of mine.
Yours faithfully,
Sase Singh
