Dear Editor,
I refer to the article titled, “President says his office will operate in regions” (SN February 3). I believe that this may be a development without precedent, and it is one which I hail because of its potential for benefits to longsuffering citizens trapped by a stifling bureaucracy, dismissed by political and public service bosses, or taken advantage of by powerful people reaching into high places. The smaller and lesser than the big people across Guyana can have a pipeline that transports their concerns all the way to the Office of the President, and His Excellency himself. An excellent idea, indeed.
In his own words, President Ali puts where he stands before Guyanese: “At the end of the day, you’ll have a direct connection to my office to resolve your issues.” What could be better than that, having access all the way to the top? The more I wrap my mind around this, the more I like it. The onus is now on citizens to step up and table their issues, concerns, challenges, interests, troubles, and so forth. I would urge my fellow Guyanese to make good use of this arrangement, but to be respectful of both the President’s time, and that of the people working in his office(s), who will no doubt be kept on their toes to field responses and solutions to whatever comes before them. By this I mean only channel escalated matters that are of significance. Then again, a pension book taking forever could be what is closest to the heart of a struggling citizen, as opposed to a subset of a community whose roads are destroyed by contractors, or connected party hacks, or the rich and powerful.
I think it would be helpful for the Office of the President to make clear that there should be no pressure, no retaliation, on those citizens who report their issues to the President’s Office for a much-needed helping hand. Quite a few of us have heard or read or know of countless instances of the little people, those without some intervening voice or presence, being made to feel like illegal immigrants, whenever they summon the courage to speak to some matter that is meaningful to them. It could be about those regional public servants who don’t move until the language of money under the table is spoken; money that the poor don’t have. It could be about what has fallen apart, or the usual matter of chronic noise nuisances that impair the quality of life of numerous communities and citizens in the scattered regions of Guyana.
Further still, there is the added value of the President keeping his finger on the pulse of what is going on in the regions, and who is serving his PPP Government well, versus those who are betraying it for a few pieces of copper (or coloured paper). Adventurous comrades could be held in check, crooked and shortchanging contractors brought to book. At the same time, His Excellency, President Ali gets to showcase how serious he is, and how he is determined to get things done in the proper way, and in the shortest time. I hope that the President delivers, and does not disappoint. In this instance, every benefit of the doubt is given with this proposed establishment of satellite offices of the President in the regions. I like the sound of it, and the good that could come out of the mere presence of these offices.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall