Elections should be pushed back to 2020 and the two parties should share gov’t in interim
Dear Editor
During the past period I was verbally abused for not criticizing the Coalition Government for wrongdoings and there were indeed many. They pointed to the fact that I was severe in my criticisms of the PPP and did so publicly.
I responded by saying that for years I criticized the PPP internally before I went public and I would do the same with regards this government. I did indicate that come 2019 I would be an equal opportunity critic.
A few supporting the governing side accused me of being an opportunist and that it seems that I would do so because I did not get Minister “wuk” but that is another story and I am used to such accusations.
Well the no-confidence vote has been cast and unless something comes up to nullify it like the mathematical configuration of 32.5 Members which itself is an impossibility, it seems like a fait accompli. The government has stated that it would abide by the constitution, so we wait and see.
I was thinking seriously of writing a letter calling upon the Leader of the Opposition who indicated that he would have discussions with the President, to seriously engage the President in unity talks. Granted there were some developments especially in Housing the realities were that the gap between the rich and poor widened considerably, the corruption became deep rooted, we remained a five primary products producer as the economy was not transformed and face the fact, we remained a remittance country. Had it not been for families sending in barrels and US dollars our people would have faced serious difficulties. Lest we forget, the dollar under the PPP moved from 126 to one to 200 and by 2014 it moved to 2009 so the economy was in decline.
Sugar has played an important role in what is transpiring today. I must add at this stage that the Agriculture Ministry which was to be the flagship of the AFC was mismanaged. While it’s a fact that the PPP badly damaged sugar, the Ministry of Agriculture was at sea with regards the contribution of sugar to the economy, and with regards what needed to be done to improve the performance of the industry. It was so ridiculous to close the estates when it was decided that they be privatized. Reason really fled.
I did write a few letters to the press on sugar and the CEO called me for a meeting but none of my proposals were implemented. In fact in response to the President’s request for ideas on sugar. My friend Romeo Cipriani and I prepared a 12-page document on sugar which was sent to the President and others. We were not even called in for a discussion Here again the AFC failed to hold the Minister accountable. In fact the AFC did not hold any of its Ministers accountable and I will deal with this later. I myself have grown war weary as I fought the PNC and the PPP and was trampled. While I had to endure the insults by those who indicated to me that they voted AFC because of me and they were betrayed, I also felt somewhat betrayed by the leadership of the AFC as it has not lived up to its promises to keep the government accountable and be the balancing force.
I also feel betrayed because there were three areas that I and others fought tooth and nail to be included in our Manifesto, i.e. constitutional reform, the development bank which would have assisted businesses and a tri-sectoral economy. These have not been implemented. Three years were more than enough to get the ball rolling.
This country badly needs a party that is pro working people. The united working people is our only hope of holding governments accountable.
In conclusion I go back to the call by the Leader of the Opposition to hold talks with the President and I say the talks should be about unity and constitutional changes. The Constitution allows a twothirds majority to push the date for elections later. I propose that it be pushed to 2020 and that the two parties share the government for this period while implementing constitutional changes. I further make mention that there are others within the PPP, APNU and AFC who have the ability and so we do not have to necessarily utilize those ministers who served before and who may have been implicated in alleged misconduct.
This period could also be used to implement some of the Manifesto promises. It may be good for them to consider the utilization of persons who have demonstrated love of country and are willing to dedicate their energies and expertise wholly and fully in building Guyana.
His Excellency President Granger and the Leader of the Opposition could go down in history as the saviour of Guyana. It’s up to them to put Guyana and its people first.
Yours faithfully,
Rajendra N Bisessar
BSc Sociology, LLB