An Open Letter to the PPP’s Supporters

Dear Editor, It just occurred to me that there seems to be little or no response on the part of supporters of the PPP condemning their Party over its outrageous conduct in regard to its subversion of Guyana’s democracy, and its long list of violations as these relate to corruption and the other breaches of the law by the PPP’s ministers and officers. The PPP’s supporters need to realize that we are all Guyanese who cannot be anything but offended by the PPP’s conduct. The PPP does not own them, nor can they control them, nor can they tell them what to think. The PPP’s supporters can see for themselves what is happening, and that it is corruption and injustice beyond recovery for any government. The PPP has especially enriched itself and its acolytes quite handsomely while dressing roads and putting down a few schools and other public facilities here and there throughout the country. One only needs to look at how the contractor for the Amaila Falls road disappeared after receiving hundreds of millions of our tax dollars. A number of other beneficiaries of the PPP’s network of corruption are well known throughout Guyana. The PPP’s supporters need to understand that in this new dispensation of Guyana’s history, there are no Burnhams in any of the opposition parties, and I have already publicly stated that it was the Peoples’ National Congress (PNC) itself, under the leadership of Desmond Hoyte, which put shut to condemnations of rigging, and handed the people of Guyana real democracy in 1992. Burnham and his legacy of vote rigging and vicitimization (as he and the PNC have been accused of so many times; I cannot comment on my own behalf) are dead and no more. A number of other opposition parties have aligned themselves with the PNC. These Parties consist of professionals dedicated to the prosperity of all Guyanese, and development for all. All of these dedicated professionals are committed Guyanese who cannot be wrong about what they know to be true, that the PNCR is indeed a New Party for all Guyanese, which has embraced them all, and embraces all Guyanese, regardless of political affiliation, because, that is what real government is about. It’s about delivering justice and equal opportunity to all, irrespective of political, religious or other affiliations. The PPP has placed Guyana in a difficult and unimaginable position, where the incumbent administration has disregarded and denied the representatives of the people of their democratic right of administration of the nation’s financial resources by subverting the democratic process through proroguing. The supporters of the PPP are asked to understand and know that both the opposition and its supporters know that the PPP has systematically fed them propaganda aimed at frightening them with the ghosts of Burnham and his legacy. Especially, they must believe that the Opposition and its supporters mean them no harm, under any circumstance. All the Opposition is asking is that the PPP’s supporters take a hard look at what the PPP is doing to Guyana’s democracy and the risk to upheaval that the PPP seems to be provoking, if only to frighten them again. They are asked to know that they have nothing to be scared of, ever, because in a democracy, the Opposition understands that it is their duty to convince supporters of the PPP and the wider Guyanese population that they (the Opposition) can indeed deliver more and better on government than the PPP. And that is their message and purpose. Listen to them, hear what they are saying. They do not speak of violence and upheaval. They speak of peaceful protests, engaging international support against the PPP, and returning to Parliament and managing the country’s business. They speak of going to the polls to have the electorate deliver a referendum to the PPP, to put an end to all of the infighting and chaos in Parliament that is resulting from the PPP’s corruption and gross mismanagement of our financial and natural resources, and its continued violation of our democratic rights in respect to the holding of local government elections, which returns government back to towns and communities. The Opposition has a plan to move this country forward. More importantly right now however is that Guyana’s democracy especially depends on the supporters of the PPP. Consider the alternatives and place your support strongly behind a return to Democracy in Guyana. Craig Sylvester