Why I support President Ramotar and the PPP/C

DEAR EDITOR,
I can give a hundred reasons why I support President Ramotar and the PPP/C, but the letter would be much too long for publication and no editor would carry it.
Guyana today, is by far more developed, more prosperous and more respected than it ever was under previous PNC Administrations. The quality of life that Guyanese now enjoy and take for granted was only made possible through the brilliant financial management of our nation’s resources, first by former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, and now by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh.
In 1992 when the PPP/C took office, not even Dr. Cheddi Jagan knew just how bankrupted the country was, and the vast sums of monies owing to foreign governments and financial institutions. Corruption within the former PNC Government was commonplace but no one dared speak up against it, not even Freddie Kissoon, who now uses the freedom of speech guaranteed under the Constitution to criticize the very PPP/C Government that protects his rights to do so.
According to Peeping Tom (Kaieteur News, December 24, 2013), “…an Integrity Commission Act was first passed under the Desmond Hoyte (PNC) regime in 1991 following concerns about pervasive corruption under the PNC regime. In those days, things moved within sections of the bureaucracy in relation to the amount of grease applied. For almost all public services there were underhand dealings believed to be taking place. In the face of concerns that reining in excesses by public officials with access to the public purse was fast becoming impossible, the Hoyte regime passed an Integrity Commission Act. This Bill was however seen as tepid and unable to curb the excesses taking place. It never did. No one was ever indicted, sanctioned, investigated or prosecuted under that Act.”
Editor, many of the major actors of that regime are still active members of the opposition PNC-APNU.
In my opinion, the main culprit whose policies as Minister of Finance left Guyana’s economy devastated in 1992, PNC-APNU Shadow Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge, will return as the PNC-APNU-AFC Finance Minister if (God forbid) that Party wins the election…that is a frightening thought indeed.
We’ve come too far to go back now. Under the PNC, most Guyanese lived below the poverty line. There was no foreign exchange to import anything. Parents kept their children home from school to stand in long lines to buy a loaf of bread, a pint of cooking oil or two rolls of toilet paper whenever these items were available. And if you were one of the fortunate few that owned a vehicle, you were restricted to a few gallons when gas was available, but only after waiting for hours in long lines at the gas station.
New tyres and spare parts for cars were impossible to get on the local market. Everything was rationed by the PNC Government, and the daily shortages of food supply and spare parts gave birth to the Traders. Today, almost anything you need and in any quantity, is readily available in stores and supermarkets. Almost anything you can get in New York is available right here in Guyana, often a lot cheaper. Guyanese now travel freely to other countries without the hassle of having to waste the entire day at the Inland Revenue Department to get an income-tax clearance before they are allowed to travel. And Guyanese are free to buy any amount of the readily available US dollars under US$10,000 without government interference.
In the dark days of the PNC, Guyanese were only allowed to leave the country with the equivalent of One Hundred Guyana Dollars.
In Guyana today, more families own a car, a home or house lot, something they never thought was possible before.
Today, regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation, any contractor can secure a contract with the Government of Guyana as long as the criteria are met as advertised. The integrity of the bidding process is protected by public scrutiny through advertising; very different from the days when only supporters of the PNC Government were given contracts without public knowledge. There was never a period during the entire 28-year reign of the PNC when contracts were awarded with the frequency they’re being done now. Of course, in those days, there was hardly any money in the treasury to build anything, and I cannot recall seeing advertising in the local media for projects up for tender.
Isn’t it hilarious that Greenidge is the one now crying foul, and demanding transparency in the bidding process? How many Indian businessmen do you believe got lucrative contracts from the PNC government in those days? I don’t know of any. In fact, if a Guyanese did not have a PNC Party card, he/she was very unlikely to get a job in the public sector, much less be given government contracts.
Guyana is fortunate to have a leader like Donald Ramotar at this moment in our nation’s history. Contrary to the image the Opposition paints of him, this man does not have one gram of racist blood running through his veins. He is truly a man of the people that is constantly working to improve race relations and to mould us all as one people, one nation.
I’ve said before, and will repeat it here again…Afro-Guyanese in traditional PNC strongholds have benefitted a lot more from PPP/C Administrations than they ever did under the PNC, and that’s an undisputed fact. What have David Granger and APNU done for Black people in Guyana, and specifically, those who voted PNC-APNU last election? Nothing!
All the cheap electricity his supporters enjoy in Linden is subsidized by this government. Linden has new roads, new reliable water supply; new schools; new sports facilities; and thousands of Black families all over Guyana now own homes and house lots – a dream that was once Forbes Burnham’s, but now is a reality under this PPP/C Government. There are more Blacks working in Government Ministries than any other race. Yet if you believe the rhetoric spewed by the Opposition, Black people are being denied jobs.
I frankly expect to be accused of race-baiting by some in the opposition, but it is time someone has the courage to tell it like it is without having to be politically correct for fear of hurting someone’s feelings. The truth is, most Blacks enjoy a better quality of life under this PPP/C Government, but the younger generation don’t see it that way. They are constantly demanding more. Perhaps if they knew from whence we came: the tremendous sufferings of the Guyanese people under the dictatorial PNC and the atrocities committed by that regime, the youth of today would be less demanding and more appreciative of having the good fortune of growing up under the PPP/C.
It is imperative that Donald Ramotar and the PPP/C be re-elected to continue the modernization of Guyana, and to regain our leadership role in the Caribbean. But if there is one reason why women in particular should turn out in droves to re-elect the PPP/C regardless of their political affiliation, it is because the PPP/C has passed laws with teeth, to protection women and their children from the scourge of abuse, and to empower them in the workforce.
I am confident that our next Prime Minister, Mrs. Elisabeth Harper, a strong and dynamic woman, will ensure this trend continues!
Harry Gill