Dear Editor,
Whatever the real or imagined ills of our economy, or plight of the poor are, the APNU+AFC, whether in government or as the political opposition, lacks the intellectual fortitude, integrity, and moral standing to chastise Budget 2022, as was presented by the PPP/C Govern-ment. Many individuals, families, small businesses, and corporations were placed in dire constraints, as a direct consequence of APNU+AFC’s mismanagement and corrupt handling of the economy, which only benefitted a small group of super-wealthy businessmen, party officials, and loyalists, much to the displeasure of their core supporters made up of predominantly Afro-Guyanese.
I view with disbelief, the APNU+AFC’s theatrics during these
budget debates as they champion a menu of socio-economic measures, which they say is necessary for Guyanese to live a “good life”, but none of which they implemented while in office. One question could not escape my thought, and that is: “Are these people for real?” By now most Guyanese ought to understand the APNU+AFC. They are an uncaring group of people who would say and do anything out of desperation. They have lost all relevance and connection with the Guyanese people in a nascent oil and gas economy. To this day, not a single individual of APNU+AFC could account for the US$18 million signing bonus received from ExxonMobil, but one thing is certain, this huge sum of money never made it to any national budget passed by the Granger administration. So, then how was the US$18M spent? Surely, it is not in the pockets of “poor Guyanese” or else we would be better off under an APNU+AFC government.
It is hypocritical for the political opposition to stand in parliament claiming to be arguing on behalf of the poor, and vulnerable for increased wages and pensions and improved living standards, when they themselves, while in office, imposed a host of taxation measures ranging from VAT on water, electricity, education and medical services. It is also hypocritical for them to be doing so now, when it was them who stopped the Because We Care and School Uniform cash grants. Which category of persons was impacted negatively by these actions of the APNU+AFC? Isn’t it the same persons on whose behalf they claim to be arguing? To be fair, Budget 2022 was not intended to be an election year budget with the bells and whistles and as such, it is easy for the political opposition to chastise and make all sorts of promises to the people. It is easy for one to say ‘give auntie $10M’ and ‘give uncle $6M’ when they do not have to account for it. Fortunately for this country, President Ali exists in the real world with real-world consequences, should his administration mismanage our economy and resources in an APNU+AFC-like manner. So, therefore, we should remain steadfast and confident in the PPP/C government, knowing that our freedoms are secure and our future has never been more promising.
The Ali administration, along with past PPP/C governments, have many times proven their ability to generate and equitably distribute wealth amongst the nations’ poorest and most vulnerable, to start-up and complete massive housing projects geared towards the provision of thousands of new homes, to open new areas of opportunities and job creation in the ICT sector for its young people were accomplished in the absence of oil revenue or so-called ‘Oil Budget’. It is clear that under PPP/C governments we have moved forward as a nation without any revenue from the oil and gas sector.
Sincerely,
Anson Paul
