Dear Editor,
Today, Government Ministers would have a golden opportunity to convince the nation that the hardships they now endure, will one day miraculously transform into the “Good Life” they have been promised every year since May of 2015.
Today, the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic will also have an opportunity to expose the corrupt, inept APNU+AFC coalition as unworthy to hold public office. Yes, today we debate the much anticipated no-confidence motion in Parliament against the Granger administration.
But above all, today we separate the patriots from those who serve to fulfill personal ambitions, and to accumulate personal wealth.
Despite the hardcore persona displayed by government MPs in Chambers, quite a few have privately expressed feelings of uncertainty with the state of the economy and the general direction the country is heading, but they are powerless to do anything about it on their own.
Unlike 1992 when the PPP inherited a bankrupt country and had to pay off US$3 billion in external debts that the PNC accumulated during their 28 years in government, the APNU+AFC inherited a robust economy with US$688 million in foreign reserves. Resources that are being squandered now.
In 2014, the last year that the PPP produced a budget, the total tax take was $135 billion. Since 2015, Government has introduced a number of austerity tax measures on the backs of Guyanese, raking in $223 billion in taxes, $88 billion more per year in tax revenues, a 60.5% increase on an annual basis. Now you know why the average Guyanese don’t have money in their pockets.
But that has not prevented this “don’t care” government from making a last-ditch effort to fool the people again.
In a recent publication, government has listed its “achievements” since gaining office in 2015. Quite frankly, I find it amusing that the coalition would list some of the things mentioned as part of their “achievements”, when in fact, these very things demonstrate their lack of vision and mediocre performance in government.
The crime rate is so out of control that only government ministers, protected by heavily armed security, don’t feel threatened by bandits on a daily basis.
Government is presumptuous enough to take credit for “an independent judiciary” when the outcome of some legal cases bears the hallmark of direct government interference.
Then the Coalition takes credit for creating “an autonomous Parliament and other constitutional agencies which are all guaranteed full financial independence” while cutting billions from the budgets of these same constitutional agencies. But we intend to fully bisect and dissect these ludicrous claims of so-called achievements during the debate.
Today, Guyana will see the grit that men and women in Parliament are made of, especially on the government’s side. They can continue to play politics as usual at the expense and detriment of our people, or a few brave men, or women, can stop the bleeding of our economy and the sufferings of the Guyanese people by voting “yes” for the no-confidence motion. We need to find common ground now to move this country forward before it’s too late.
Yours faithfully,
Harry Gill
PPP/C Member of Parliament
