Dear Editor,
I read Ubraj Narine’s vitriolic letter attacking the credibility of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and implying that he is devoid of honesty and integrity in governance. History and existing records reveal that Ubraj’s accusations are scurrilous, unsubstantiated, and malicious. I feel it is imperative that I respond to these but not with polemics and platitudes but rather with evidence. Ubraj derides Jagdeo’s performance on the economy claiming, for example, that he was responsible for the poverty level. Ubraj should know that as finance minister, Jagdeo was able to significantly reduce the debt burden of Guyana through bilateral and multilateral debt relief. He played a vital role in the development of the National Development Strategy in 1997 of which the Poverty Reduction Strategy was an offshoot. He also initiated the National Competitive Strategy.
When the Jagdeo team took office in 1992, the government had to pay 93 cents on every dollar to service the national debt. In 1992 the GDP per capita was $1, 146. When Jagdeo left office in 2011, the per capita GDP was $4,960 (300% + increase). In 2011, the GDP growth rate was 4.0% one of the highest in the Caribbean. For Ubraj’s edification, the poverty level in 1992 was 46%. When Jagdeo left office in 2011, the poverty rate dropped to 30%. Under the PNC pre-1992 period it was 65% (1988). Ubraj obviously chose to ignore established facts.
Ubraj’s claim of environmental exploitation is preposterous. His assertion that there is large scale deforestation and illegal logging, is grossly misleading. The Pulitzer Center reports that Guyana has one of the continent’s best track records for Amazon rainforest protection. It continues: “as deforestation spikes across much of the Amazon exacerbating climate change and hurting biodiversity, environmentalists say that Guyana offers useful lessons for protecting the world’s largest rainforest.” Guyana has the second largest forest cover in the world in which an estimated 21.8 billion of carbon dioxide is stored. Forest covers 85% of the country’s land mass. Less than 1% (0.005%) of tress are felled. This amounts to 400,000 cubic meters of wood.
From where did Ubraj get his information? Ubraj must know that the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is the brainchild of the VP. His government has received not only $(US) 250 million forest grant from Norway but also Jagdeo was named as Champion of the Earth. The VP also negotiated carbon credits totaling $(US) 750 million, and a portion of this sum is allocated for investment in Amerindian communities. The VP is recognized worldwide for his leadership in Climate Change including the LCDS initiative. Ubraj, should read the LCDS 2030 before expressing other people’s contorted views.
Sincerely,
Jai Lall
