Dear Editor,
In its past 23 years, the PPP hardly gave out national awards or Senior Counsel awards. In 2022, the PPP Government has done it again. No awards. Why? A few letters writers had called for the awards and Guyanese Nationalists Dr. Dhanpaul Narine and Ashook Ramsaran of the diaspora, have written calling on the Government to “please restore the National Awards, as a matter of interest to its citizens.”
Contrast this with when the PNC got into Government in 2015, they engaged in a sanitization process. They resurrected all the old-time riggers and gave them awards as if they were heroes and some got jobs and committee appointments. One of the old-time party strong man, the mention of whose name caused people to tremble in fear in the 1970s-80s, even headed the list of awardees and was later given a special pension through a special Act of Parliament. I thought the PPP would have repealed that Act at the same time it was repealing the PNC’s Natural Resource Fund Act. The PPP knows the PNC’s lists of awardees in the past did not reflect the diversity of the nation. Many of their supporters and good citizens were left out. The PPP has yet again lost opportunities to right those wrongs, including giving Balram Singh Rai his pension.
My friend Suresh has an explanation for this. He said the PPP Government usually gets focused on things from which they can collect tithes and offerings such as business deals, land deals, and procurement contracts, that they are not interested in piddling things such as national awards and Senior Counsel appointments. There is no money to be made from those, he said.
There are many people in and out of Guyana who have been doing good charitable and social work, and community leadership programmes. There are public servants, farmers, fishermen, media folks, professionals, and people from all walks of life in and out of Guyana that are deserving of national awards. I think of heroes such as Mr. Glenn Lall of KN; Mr. Frederick Flatts who gave enormous service in the Government; Mr. Lionel Persaud for religious work and service at CARICOM; Mr. Veerasammy Ramayya in Berbice; Christopher Ram; Melinda Janki; Harold Beharry of Swiss Machinery and HAB It; Vishnu Bisram; Merle and Mike McCormack who did much to help in the restoration of democracy in 1992 at a time when it was dangerous to speak out; sawmill owners in the Unity/Hubu area who provide community employment and have helped sustain those rural communities – Mr. Krishna and Savitri Mohabir, Mr. Lakeram Harridat, Mr. Bhola; the Radzik sisters; Alfred Bhulai; etc.
Safely entrenched in power now, the ungrateful PPP has forgotten all those Guardians of Democracy who guarded ballot boxes for five months and all those letter writers who stood in the gap for democracy. A blogger on the web writing as “WatchStoryHey,” said, “It is absolutely disgraceful that the Jagdeo-era practice of side-lining National Awards has returned. Every PPP President before him maintained this ceremonial but important recognition of people’s work. Now we are back to the usual nonsense. Every one of our Commonwealth CARICOM member states – republic or not – recognizes its citizens annually. There is a clear nomination process, and the awardees are mostly ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Yet we can’t seem to do something so simple.”
So nation, do you now see why the Government has not renegotiated the oil contract, has not audited US$9.5 billion of oil expenses, has not provided full disclosure on all natural resource and land deals, has not secured full insurance for oil spills, has not put strong measures for environmental protection, etc.? Those are piddling things for them.
I trust Dr. Dhanpaul and Ashook will lead the diasporans in New York to boycott Government delegations making jaunts to New York to collect campaign contributions and pretend they care about diasporan engagement. Until Diasporans understand that successive Governments play games with them, this eye-pass will not end. Diasporans have hardly been recognized although they continue to do much. Instead of running to put malas around their necks, and jostling to take pictures with them, Dr. Dhanpaul and diasporans should organize some boycotts and picketing when these pretenders go to New York and Toronto. Demand some respect, and have some self-respect too! Shame on the Government for not having the awards. They still have time to correct this injustice. Please get to work ASAP or Mr. President, please explain to the nation why your Government thinks that giving awards is a very bad thing! One Guyana!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall