Multi-billionaire Fenty’s Guyana – Upgrade
After leaving the devastating Pandemic to other commentators for weeks, specific recall and current events seemingly compel me to offer personal comment once again.
But just why am I invoking the People’s National Congress (PNC) Chairperson’s name today? No, not because she’ll likely feature dramatically in her party’s upcoming leadership elections. It’s because Ms Volda was the Minister of (Public) Health when the global pandemic arrived in Guyana last year February/March as our own local deadly epidemic.
And guess what friend: there was no talk of vaccines! Because President Donald Trump’s vaccines had not yet hit the grateful market. (China, Cuba, India and Russia were among those quietly testing and manufacturing however. As the United Nations pontificated.)
Led by the PNC Brigadier-President Granger, the coalition administration, in the midst of its electoral engineering and litigation-procrastination – did implement urgent measures to confront the global plague by mid-March 2020. To its credit!
Who dared to object to the “sweeping powers” which were then delegated to Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence? Just a sampling: any hospital could have been converted to a “COVID–special” facility; persons’ freedom of movement could have been restricted in the interest of public health; the old Public Health Act could have been cited to allow any amount of funds to be spent by the President as his Health Minister confronted the pandemic; of course person found to be suffering from COVID have been restrained, segregated and isolated; even a household’s personal effects – clothes, beddings, goods – could have been removed and destroyed in the public interest .
There was, there is more of the above. So I wonder: who would have protested and defied the Brigadier? None dared. None did. Education and communication? Not really…
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Minister Frank’s challenges
Once the PNC was persuaded to leave the corridors of governmental authority, an old “boss” of mine Dr Frank Anthony “inherited” all the challenges every government faces with respect to persuading every citizen to be responsible enough to collectively beat the pandemic. He, unlike Minister Volda, has vaccines in his Corona Health-Care armoury. But still, the confrontation is slow to conquer.
The vaccination drives have been somewhat politicised, caught up in an overall campaign of relentless, sustained opposition to a one-year-old “installed, fraudulent, racist” government. Even as Covid keeps on capturing young and old from all political preferences.
I need not write anything much more on the issue. Numerous commentaries from fine minds still attend. Amidst funeral farewells I ask Minister Frank to ensure medications appropriate and ventilators/respirators are on hand adequately. To ensure vaccines are preserved and usable for months.
The anti-vaxxers must see what other governments are doing for the public good. Hopefully they’ll realise that their personal “bodies” and rights must not compromise the health and lives of others. The world has turned to vaccines.
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A weekend to forget – and regret
As a nation we should learn from last weekend’s events. We can regret yes, but never forget, really.
Between last week Thursday and this past Sunday the negatives unfolded: A young Deputy Superintendent of Police was apprehended/arrested with massive illegal drugs in his vehicle. (Tributes to his “colleagues” who caught and detained him.) $2.2M US worth of marijuana was seized by CANU in the Pomeroon – bound for the Caribbean; a Hinterland Secondary School was burnt flat and another section of the Print Media reminded us of a dozen very senior police ranks, along with juniors, all now facing serious charges in the Law Courts. Morale amongst the remaining law-enforcers?
Then Saturday’s Brickdam Station destruction “crowned” a negative weekend. No need for my “sermons”. Frankly speaking though, all those negatives contain lessons to be learnt.
No good news? Well by Monday the Vice-President announced that about 7000 sugar workers made redundant by the Brigadier’s Coalition will each receive a quarter-million G’s ($250,000) to help them along by my January birthdate next year. I’m to receive one-tenth of the sugar-worker assistance – $25,000 – for being past 65 years on this Guyana Earth. Ho-ho-ho.
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Multi-billionaire Fenty’s renewed Guyana
The most witty of my four now very adult daughters tells me that she understands that I’m entitled to “dream dreams as an old man”. And that for my dreams to come true/through I need to win a huge American Lottery Game. Lovingly disrespectful!
But if I did become an American type multi-billionaire, I’ll ask Guyanese governments to allow me to arrange some of the following before I pass on permanently; Supplement gov’t’s scholarships with my own in Science and Information Technology and Agriculture. Spend massive funds to rehabilitate and beautify Georgetown with residents being incentivised to keep their communities civilised; with new malls for vendors utilising long-idle spaces like the old Co-op Bank building, old Auto Supplies spaces etc. so to remove vendors from pavements. Reformation of Stabroek Market Square. Arrange a Public–Private Sector renewal of the disgraceful National Cemetery.
Building modern hospitals in every region after training well-paid nurses and hiring doctors so that numerous referrals to GHPC are not necessary. So too with Police Stations and Outposts. Security access will be possible within 10 to 20 minutes – or less!
I’ll also ensure the return of Omni-buses and coaches; pensioners travel will be subsidised and electricity blackouts will be just a memory. Now pray that I win the lotto!
Ponder, spare some thoughts…
● 1) Coming next Friday: The Guyanese American democrats in their socialist Guyana. Socialist?
● 2) Running from Cuba, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Syria, Ethiopia, Honduras, Myanmar – all beautiful places now hell on earth to their refugees. Find 10 reasons.
● 3) The new current normal – divisive anniversaries: PNC 5th October (Anniversary of its founding), PPP 5th October (Return to Democracy, 1992.)
‘Til next week
