We complete 29 today!!!
Whether husband-and-wife combinations or the now “single-parent-female” phenomenon, people fashion and pore over some form of vital, necessary and domestic budget. Perhaps on the kitchen table or children’s desk.
On a most basic level those household “budgets” and budgeting determine the quality of life for families, communities, the society.
Because of editorial deadlines this piece today was penned many hours before the National Budget presented by Dr Singh this Wednesday. So I did not know that budget’s details. But I do know that it will have, directly or indirectly, impacts on citizens’/our quality of life. Even as we “budget” to survive or prosper in our unfolding oil-rich republic.
So I enquire again: don’t we all deserve a comfortable quality of life? And yes we must contribute to that “quality” when we work, produce and protect. With lots of help from our friend, the state. But what do I mean by the oft-used and social measuring device: quality of life?
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Our choices, our politics, our lives
Here in a country still blessed with a variety, an abundance of nature’s gifts – gold, manganese, timber, diamonds, bauxite, marine products, rivers and falls of potential electric power, numerous agricultural produce not present in other lands and islands – the citizens – except a few through circumstance, status, abilities or fraud – have never boasted the quality of living a small population deserved why?
Did we choose wisely? Our leaders and managers of the gifts of our economy? Did we always have the opportunity to choose freely anyhow?
Democratic politics allow us choices to install governmental leaders to manage the state’s resource for the benefit of all (ostensibly?) Elected governments then appoint “professionals” to implement policies and programmes. Frequently those professional leaders and managers actually fail us.
Then there are leaders in commerce, industry and social services. All the above impact our daily quality of life — our earnings and income; the water, electricity, educational and health-care facilities. And the cost of all those utilities which impact just how we exist.
Pre-budget 2022 intimations from the government promise the usual: tax reduction, more disposable income, enhanced livelihoods, agricultural, ICT investments, employment opportunities, the works! And as opposition parties are great at doing, all kinds of demands are being made of budget 2022. Their demands make me want to re-elect them immediately Ho-ho-ho…
Vice-President Jagdeo, once a former Finance Czar himself, has been making some encouraging budgetary promises – “investments for the future that will enrich the lives of Guyanese”. By this Wednesday night past we would have had some solid indications (??)
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Guyana’s opposition – role and relevance
I’ve long abandoned the wishful hope of/for a “loyal opposition”. Whereby the political position would be – in old-time British tradition – a part of government.
I’ve settled for local political “oppositions” to be robust monitors/scrutineers of government’s behaviours. And I normally hope that they could be professional constructive critics on our behalf. But in our portion of this real world even that seems too much to hope for; to expect.
On rare occasions we observe the opposition making constructive proposals. As they did before Wednesday’s budget. Sadly, the mis-use of social media for putrid, low-life “cuss-outs”; aggressive protests and press-releases do not encourage opposition embrace by even a majority of those not enamoured by the PPP government.
I suppose we Guyanese must live with an opposition whose sole purpose is to regain oil-and-gas government. No wonder this newspaper often editorialises on behalf of (the potential role of) civil society opposition.
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FS: Twenty-nine (29) not out!
Between “Allan, being Frank” and “Frankly Speaking”, the late David de Caires, Stabroek’s then Editor-in-Chief and founder, chose the latter.
With agreement from Mrs de Caires, this man-in-the- street/working class column was created – get this! – partly because my then own PNC had lost the October 1992 general elections. (Ho-ho-ho!) During that election campaign I had penned and edited numerous “PNC pieces” for the newspapers.
Thus was “born”, twenty-nine (29) years ago this week-end, this weekly Friday Op-Ed from a relative non-academic perspective. Perhaps short on profundity but, hopefully, always interesting enough even for others to “borrow” story ideas from. Happy twenty-ninth to “Frankly Speaking” and oh, happy Birth Anniversary to me too…
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Some issues to ponder…
1. Say, think what you will about her – for Barbados’ Mia Mottley to win all the electoral seats for a second time is pure class!
2. Pure disappointment! The brand new street lights on the nearly-completed Sheriff Street/Mandela Highway offer poor illumination!
3. Yes, no under-16 should ride those electric-powered bicycles freely.
4. When will the next major fire occur?
5. How revolutionary! A new properly-located fire department headquarters is being constructed at last. The one at Stabroek is/was a stark symbol of under-development!
6. Dire predictions: Later this year vendors will begin to sell in the middle of busy Georgetown streets! And Guyana will never, never, never see an end to electricity blackouts.
7. I spoke to the late Yesu Persaud only once. We were together in line to view the returned, embalmed corpse of L. Forbes Burnham (from the Soviet Union). Mr Persaud asked me something about it.
The numerous encomiums upon his passing were fit for a Head–of-state. They made me regret not knowing him personally, or better. One admiring writer even described him as “one of the greatest humans civilisation produced”.
And I was told that “Yesu” could mean “Jesus”.
8. Y’all recall when Speaker Sase Narain suspended the late great Cheddi Jagan for several months?
`Til next week!
