APNU+AFC now dodging local government elections
Wednesday, October 21 2015, Source
DO NOT hold your breath, there is no local government elections this year. All relevant authorities seem to be dodging the question of local government elections. Amidst the general malaise, loss of confidence and dismay surrounding the downward trajectory of development in Guyana and the arrogance that change of government has brought, we may have missed the certain dodging of local government elections which were promised before the end of 2015. Indeed, APNU+AFC had stated that they have a contract with the Guyanese people that local government elections date would have been announced within their first 100 days in office and the elections would be held before the end of 2015.
Have people noticed that APNU+AFC has gone loudly silent on local government elections?
GECOM has just stated that they think that elections might be in March 2016, but that it would have to be given the order by APNU+AFC. When confronted last Friday by the media, Raphael Trotman said that he believes it might be sometime early next year, but he cannot speak about local government elections since that is the purview of Mr. Bulkan, the Minister with responsibility for local government. Mr, Bulkan now is not talking to the media about local government elections.
I used to think that Bulkan had a pre-recorded message stuck in his mouth because every time he opened his mouth to speak during the 10th Parliament when he was the Opposition spokesman on local government, he demanded that local government elections must be held. He was always visibly angry that the local government elections were not being scheduled.
What happened to the promise by his party, APNU+AFC, that they will announce the date for local government elections within the first 100 days of being in government and holding local government elections before the end of 2015? In fact, Mr. Bulkan upon being appointed as Minister of Communities, announced that local government elections would be held before December 2015. They followed up by rushing through the Parliament certain legislations to enable GECOM to hold the elections. But suddenly, the order from the Minister, like the proverbial “cheque in the mail”, appears to have been lost on its way to GECOM.
APNU+AFC and Bulkan are definitely dodging local government elections. Now, almost 200 days since they assumed office, APNU+AFC and Bulkan have gone deadly silent on the holding of local government elections. It is like “cat cut their tongue”. APNU+AFC has definitely placed local government elections on the back-burner. It underlines the reality that after only five months in office APNU+AFC have been exposed and people have discovered that the change they had is not really working out in the people’s favor. People have lost confidence in APNU+AFC.
The economy is on a downward spiral, plummeting so fast so quickly that people have begun to visualize the pre-1992 days in Guyana. The Retail Industry is barely crawling, construction has grounded to almost a halt, taxi services have slowed down considerably, and all the major industries like rice, sugar, bauxite and mining are experiencing low prices. Restaurants and entertainment services have slowed down. Big public projects have been curtailed and there is a standstill in public infrastructure works. Many businesses are terminating employment.
Investments by small and large investors have stalled. Even citizens investing in their homes and in the comfort of everyday lives have begun to hold on to their savings. Everyone is playing a wait and see game, hoping to see improvement, but having little confidence that a positive change is imminent.
Adding to the loss of confidence is the security situation. Even though APNU+AFC has tried to downplay the serious rise in crime across the country, ordinary citizens are fearful and have curtailed their social activities, choosing to stay locked up in their homes. Many persons have openly declared that the situation is one where the safety of their families are not assured and they are planning to exit the country.
In the meanwhile people are angry that the many promises of a “good life” for all has been abandoned by APNU+AFC because APNU+AFC lied to them that the treasury totally bankrupt. Based on this colossal lie, APNU+AFC arbitrarily terminated the BECAUSE WE CARE program which provided in 2014 $10,000 per child and which was meant to be increased by $10,000 per year until the grant reached $50,000 per child by 2018. APNU+AFC terminated the popular GPL and GWI subsidies to pensioners and the tax rebate on the mortgage interest for first time homeowners. They did not reduce VAT and double old age pension, give 20% increase to public servants and sugar workers, as they had promised. They terminated employment for more than 2,000 young Amerindians and fired hundreds of public servants just because they were East Indians or Afro-Guyanese suspected of supporting the PPP.
While ignoring the people’s concern, now they also try to convince people that the treasury was not bankrupt after all and can sustain a massive pay increase for the President, Prime Minister and Ministers. To add salt to the wound, they have adjusted the benefit package of the Cabinet astronomically. Even their own sympathizers and accolades find the increase in salaries and benefits disgusting and unacceptable. What irks people the most is the arrogance and the multitude of simply stupid justifications for the pay increases and their clumsy efforts to divert the attention of people.
These increases are on top of personal expenditures such as $22M luxury vehicles, home and office refurbishment, etc. and a general approach that these things are necessary so that the President, Prime Minister and Ministers do not thief, are committed and will work with efficiency. Instead of responding to the people that they would take their concerns into consideration and review, APNU+AFC has responded that people should feel lucky that they did not opt to take double what they did and that the vulgar increases represent an irreversible act.
Not being able to persuade anyone, they have resorted to asking people to “trust us”. Unfortunately, for those who would have supported them, APNU+AFC totally lost their trust. How do you betray people and then ask them to trust you? How do you continue to focus on your own benefits and use government to intimidate and harass your political opponents, real and perceived, and neglect the fact that the economy is in a tailspin? How do you dig deep into the treasury and fill your pockets, while telling people nothing is left for them?
Trust is a two-way street. But APNU+AFC has chosen to transform a well-known two-way street into a one way, restricted street to be utilized by a select few. Now they cannot trust that the people will support them in local government elections. They are dodging and hoping to buy time, further hoping that people will forget their uncaring and arrogant response to bring the good life to all citizens.
DR. LESLIE RAMSAMMY
