Dear Editor,
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Guyana dollar was doing well versus the American dollar. The going rate loosely speaking, is US$1: GY$200. The trouble started when I found out that 200 Guyana dollars do not buy what 210 or 205 used to make possible. So much for local currency appreciation and purchasing power. Editor, I am aware that the oversupply of U.S. dollars is a contributory factor to this rate saga. But I look at where prices are, and see the usual citizens, taking advantage of sleazy corners and circumstances. By citizens, I single out price realities (a euphemism) in the agricultural sector, and with regards to goods, mostly imported. As we all know, the massive floods wreaked havoc on produce availability, with the expected effects on prices in the marketplace. Guyanese feel the pinch, but I understand it. So, I give farmers, middlemen, and sellers a pass, even as I admit to discerning that some hustles are present. There are grounds to give some leeway, and with the October rains-they have never truly stopped in earnest-the December-January rainy season suddenly takes on ominous complexions. We are in for some price turbulence for a while to come, but there is limited justification for what is paid for greens and veggies.
On the other hand, I unleash my Patriot missiles and take aim at the private sector that seize every opportunity to gouge Guyanese consumers. My first stop is at the pump. The PPP Government eased up on the excise, so what is going on at the gas stations? They can’t have so much ‘old’ stock. If they do, then Guyana’s gas stations have more petroleum equivalents that is out there in those oil blocks. Their inventories are never ending, from the price that vehicle operators are forced to pay. I give the PPP Government a partial pass on this one. Partial only, because the private sector is a powerful part of its constituency, and the Government should take its members to task for undercutting its efforts and profiteering at the people’s expense. Weren’t these the fine upright citizens, who were all so pure in their pursuit of democracy during the last elections? They have to stop sabotaging the government they back.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall
